The Consultant
by Sleepy Fangirl
Summary: The story begins early in Season 1, before Irving sees Headless. He was still very skeptical about Crane's story, so he called on an old friend for help. Then, she meets Ichabod. 'M' rating pretty much directly due to chapter 13. Feedback and reviews are really really appreciated! Please, tell me what you think!
1. The Favor

It was about 10 a.m. on a Tuesday. Captain Frank Irving pulled his car up to a home in an average upper-middle class neighborhood just outside of Scranton, PA. It was about a two-hour drive from Sleepy Hollow, but this was important. He stood at the front door for a moment before making his presence known. It had been too long since he'd been there and he felt guilty about that. He felt even guiltier that the only reason that he was there on that day was to ask a favor. He took a deep breath and knocked.

Julie O'Connor opened the door, wearing jeans and a mint green sweater. She looked adorable as always. Mid-thirties, petite, shoulder-length light brown hair, dark brown eyes. It was no wonder Eddie fell so hard for her. She was just his type.

"Frank," she smiled. "So good to see you." She gave him a big hug.

"How are you, Julie?" Frank said, returning the embrace of his best friend's widow.

"I'm good. I mean as good as I can be. You know I still miss him every day."

"I know. Me, too," Frank replied as they sat down on upholstered chairs in the living room.

"How are Cynthia and Macey?"

"We finalized the divorce."

"Oh, Frank. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it is what it is. But Bean is doing great. She's handling her issues much better than I am, guaranteed. She is one positive little girl."

"Well, I know you can take some of the credit for that. I wouldn't have made it through Eddie's accident in one piece if it wasn't for you."

"He told me in the hospital to make sure you and the kids were OK. I promised him I would."

Julie gave him an appreciative smile.

"In fact, I'm sorry it's been so long since I checked in with you."

"It's fine, Frank, really. You are not supposed to disrupt your life to worry about mine. You've had a lot on your plate since Eddie passed, and we're doing OK. Besides, I know if we need you I can count on you to be there."

"Don't you forget it," Frank smiled. "Where are the munchkins, anyway?"

"At Eddie's parents'. They've been really great. They take them when I'm working, and whenever I need them to, really. They're taking them to Brendan and Allie's for dinner tonight."

"How are they – his family?"

"His dad's quiet. He just got really...quiet. His mom's amazing. You know Annie. She gives it up to God and is able to somehow make peace with it. I haven't gotten there yet. Bren's usually good. Misses his big brother like crazy though, you can tell."

"Well, I would think so. He tagged along wherever we went since he was old enough to walk." Frank smiled. "Eddie would beat the crap out of him and he still wanted to go."

They both laughed. Their eyes met, and they both stopped laughing. Frank saw in her eyes the same thing he was feeling. That instant sorrow that creeps up when you're talking and laughing about someone you love and then suddenly remember they're gone. He could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Anyway," Julie cleared her throat, "you said you had to talk to me about something."

"Yeah, right." Frank leaned forward, placing his forearms on his thighs, folding and rubbing his hands together. He was stalling. He was not looking forward to this. He had a question. It was one that he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to, but it was his job to find out. If any evidence existed, Julie would probably have it.

Her whole life Julie has been enamored with American history. She was especially captivated by the Revolutionary War era. "Brave people filled with hope, fighting for a better life," Frank remembered her saying. He used to roll his eyes at her when she started rambling on about it. She had turned that romanticism into a bit of an obsession, which lead to a career as an American history researcher and consultant. Lucky for him. He almost regretted the eye-rolling. Almost.

It was a difficult question to ask, though, not only because Frank wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know the answer, but also because depending on what he found out, he knew he may have to try to explain to Julie what was going on. He decided he'd jump off that bridge if they came to it.

"I need you to look into something for me," he finally asked. "I need to know if you have any record of a revolutionary soldier. His name is Ichabod Crane."

"Ichabod? You know, for such an odd name it does sound vaguely familiar. Come on. I'll see what I can find."

They went downstairs to her basement, which she had turned into her research library. Eddie built it for her when they first bought the house. There were books and binders and scrapbooks everywhere. There was a computer, too, of course, but Julie preferred to actually hold things in her hands. She liked to keep things simple. She enjoyed turning the pages of her research books.

Irving sat on the small couch and Julie began to look on the shelves. He was really hoping she didn't find anything, because then it wouldn't be true. Or at least he could still tell himself that it wasn't. She took out one book, then another, looking through them and putting them back. This lasted over an hour. Then Frank, who began drifting off on the couch, was startled by Julie's excitement.

"Here! I found something." She laid a binder on the desk and read, "Captain Ichabod Crane. Defected from the Queen's army. Rumored to have had some involvement in the creation of the Declaration of Independence. And, there's even a picture. Handsome guy."

Irving practically sprinted over to the table where she was standing. He looked in the book and saw a portrait of Ichabod. He felt nauseated. "My God. It's true."

"What's true? Frank, what's going on?"

He decided there was no way of explaining this that would not make him sound completely bat crap crazy. He had a better idea. "You need to come with me. Now." The tone of his voice was stern.

"What? To Sleepy Hollow? Why?"

"You would never in a million years believe this if I told you," he said, already heading upstairs. "You have to see for yourself. Follow me in your car."

Frank knew Julie trusted him, even before Eddie's death. Now that he was gone, their bond had become even stronger. If he said to drive two hours to see something, he knew she would do it. Still, he felt a little relieved when he heard her say, "Let me call Annie and see if she can keep the kids tonight."


	2. The Introduction

Julie got in her car and began to follow Irving's police cruiser. Before he got on the highway, she saw him talking on his radio. It made her even more curious what was going to be waiting for her in Sleepy Hollow. Two long hours later, they pulled up to the precinct. Frank walked in with her and took her to a conference room near his office. He stopped outside the closed door and turned towards her.

"Before we go in here, Julie, I need you to be ready for this. Well, truthfully, you can't possibly be ready for this. Just know that I'm sorry that I even have to involve you at all but I have no choice. We need your help. It's 'save the world' kind of important. I don't know what else to say except I need you to be open to believing things you didn't think were possible, because apparently they are. "

"What are you talking about? What could possibly..."

Frank put his hand up to stop her questions. "You have no idea. Just know that what is in this room is very real. I am not messing with you." There was that stern tone again. Julie saw how serious Frank was about whatever was in that room.

"OK," she assured him.

Irving opened the door and let Julie walk in ahead of him.

"Julie O'Connor, I would like you to meet Ichabod Crane."

Julie took two steps into the room and stopped. Before processing what Irving just said, she saw a man standing up from the table where he was seated. He was a stunning man in every sense of the word. He had beautiful blue eyes, under long brown hair which was partially pulled back, and a full beard. He was tall and thin, with amazing posture. _Did Frank just say_ _Ichabod Crane?_ He was wearing revolutionary era clothing, including a gorgeous period frock coat and boots. He didn't seem real to her. He walked over to Julie and reached out his right hand, palm up.

"Ms. O'Connor?" he said in a beautifully toned British accent. She just stood there, staring at him. Somehow her arm reached out to put her right hand in his, possibly just so she could confirm he was actually there. He lightly wrapped his fingers around her hand and gave her a small bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She turned to Irving.

"Fraaaank?"

"I told you." Frank shrugged. "I'll let him fill you in on what's going on." He turned to go as he muttered, "Mostly because I'm still not completely sure myself." He walked out of the room, leaving Julie face to face with this man. She was finally putting some very odd pieces together. She saw his painting from the 1700's. Yet, he was touching her hand.

"You're…you're in the book…" she managed to say. She wasn't completely sure she was breathing.

"Pardon? Are you alright, Miss? You look a little peaked. Here, come and sit down." He kept her hand in his, put his other gently on her shoulder, and lead her over to the table. "Would you like some water?"

She stared at him, completely confused. Speechless. She thought she nodded, but she wasn't sure her head had actually moved. She was lightheaded, almost dizzy. She was glad he had her sit down. Ichabod poured her a glass of tap water from a pitcher he had on the table. "Here you are." He slid the glass across the table to her as he sat across from her. She noticed his hands. They were long, slender, and beautiful, like the rest of him. She knew that if Frank said this was him, this was him. Still, she couldn't absorb it. She couldn't look in his eyes. It was too much for her. She stared at the water glass.

"You are Ichabod Crane."

"Yes."

"Not Ichabod Crane's descendant."

"No."

"You're real." She was still looking at the table, not at him.

"Yes."

"You met George Washington?"

"I knew him very well."

She puts her hand to her forehead. "I am not dreaming?" It wasn't like she had never dreamed about men that looked and dressed like him. It was kind of her thing.

"I assure you that you are very much awake. May I explain?"

She nodded. She listened to him speak, trying to concentrate on the words instead of the tone, cadence and accent of his voice, in which it would have been very easy for her to get lost. He explained everything he knew up to this point, waking up in the cave, Headless, his beloved Katrina, and his partner Abbie and how they found each other. He had the capability of making one feel very comfortable talking, or in this case listening to him. At some point she had begun to look into his eyes as he spoke. God they were beautiful. They sparkled with a mix of intelligence, compassion, pain, and arrogance.

After what Julie assumed was about two hours, he came to the end of his story. At some point Irving had come back into the room. She had no idea when. Despite the info she just received regarding a two-hundred year nap, witches, headless horsemen and the apocalypse, Julie's mind was still trying to wrap itself around Crane.

"You _are _real," she said. "Your hands." She reached across the table and slid her hands gently over his.

"Julie," Frank said, as if trying to stop her.

Crane responded, "It's alright, Captain. I understand this is not intended as a physical advance, but a - what is the phrase Miss Mills used - 'reality check'. I am quite familiar with this concept. I have been doing several of them on a daily basis as of late."

"This coat." She rubbed the cuff of his sleeve between her right thumb and index finger, her left hand still on his. She managed a smile. "This is amazing. My inner child is doing cartwheels right now." Ichabod looked at Irving as if asking for an explanation. Frank shook his head not to worry about it.

"So, like I said, we were hoping you could help us," Frank said to Julie.

Looking right into Crane's eyes, she whispered, "Anything you want." She caught herself and looked at Irving, while reclaiming her hands back to her side of the table. "Ahem. I mean, sure. Whatever I can do to help." Frank smirked. He was not a stupid man and he knew Julie well. She knew he could see how flustered she was.

"You have a lot of info in your possession, but Crane is the only one right now that would know what, if anything may be helpful to us. What I want is for you to take Crane back to your place. Help him go through whatever he needs to for as long as he needs to. Come back tomorrow whenever he's spent or you get sick of him." Ichabod looked up like he was going to defend himself, but didn't.

"Not a problem. Looks like I'm taking you back to my place, Mr. Crane," she awkwardly smiled, trying to be funny.

The innuendo was lost on him. "Indeed. We'll need to stop at the cabin so I can collect a few things."

"Julie, can I see you for a second before you go?" Frank asked. "She'll be right back, Crane." Ichabod nodded. She walked with Frank into his office. He closed the door. "I know what's going through your head."

"I'm pretty sure you don't have any idea what is going through my head. I don't even know what's going through my head right now."

"Look, Jules. I have only seen you this flustered once before. It was the day you met Eddie. You're…smitten."

"Jesus, Frank. What do you expect? You just introduced me to someone who fought - in - the - rev - o - lu - tion - a - ry - WAR, who proceeds to tell me that the END OF DAYS is likely upon us. I…. he…. Jesus. I can't breathe." She sat down with her elbows on her thighs and her head in her hands. She took a few deep breaths. "Look, I admit I'm a little overwhelmed by this whole thing." She laughed. "That is the most understated thing I have ever said. I'm freaking the fuck out, Frank. The apocalypse? What the hell are you getting me into?" her voice began to shake. "Like I don't have it hard enough trying to raise my kids without their father…" she choked up, about to lose it, but Frank sat down to comfort her before it escalated into ugly sobbing.

She put her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her. "I'm sorry, Jules. I just needed proof. I thought he was insane. I _hoped_ he was insane. After showing him around your files you don't have to have anything else to do with this aside from letting him in and out of your house." He paused. "…And possibly carting his colonial ass back and forth until his partner gets back from her other assignment."

Julie laughed, picking her head up. "Alright. Alright. I will try to ignore the fact that there's a guy in my basement from the 1700's and he's in my library to try to find stuff that might avert the impending apocalypse. No big deal, really."

"Thank you, Julie," Frank said as he took his arm from around her and held her hand.

She put her other hand on top of his. "You're welcome."

After a moment she stood up. Before she walked out, she turned to Irving again. "About that other thing… the smitten thing…"

Frank looked up at her suspiciously. "Yes…"

"Knowing me as well as you do, you also know that if I am - and I don't even know that it's HIM that I'm smitten with, I think I may have a bigger crush on his coat - I would never act on it. He's married. He is as in love with his wife as I am - was - with Eddie. I understand what Crane's vows mean to him. I know how to be a grown-up." She was sure that once she got past the initial shock of the fact that he actually existed, she would be fine.

Always the skeptic, Frank still gave her a "behave yourself" look...

"You are truly the brother I never wanted, Irving," she smirked, walking out the door before he could throw a retort or anything else at her.


	3. The Mistake

The ride to Julie's house consisted of drive thru food and two hours of her asking Crane question after question. She was taking full advantage of having a first-hand account of all the things she'd been reading about her whole life. She noticed that Crane seemed to welcome the questions and the undivided attention to his detailed answers.

Another thing she noticed was how tightly he clenched the 'oh shit' handle with his right hand and the console with his left when she hit 65mph. Apparently he had never been on a major highway before. She fought back a smile. She didn't want to embarrass him.

When they arrived they got out of the car and began to walk up to her house. "Ladies first." Ichabod motioned with a wave of his hand_._ She was thinking how gallant a gesture that was, but then realized he didn't know which house was hers so he had to let her go ahead of him. She was pretty sure, though, that he would have done it anyway. When she got up to the porch she turned to find Crane paused on the sidewalk and looking around the neighborhood. Julie looked up and down the street, trying to see it through his eyes and figure out what he was thinking. There were kids riding bikes, the smell of dinners being cooked, and rows of well-kept lawns. She looked at him and he had a slight smile on his face, almost like it was somehow comforting to him.

"You coming?" She finally said, bringing him back to the task at hand.

"Right. My apologies." He followed her inside and down to her library.

"What do you want to start with?" Julie asked.

"Let's start with anything on Washington. We shall see where that leads us."

They spent hours going through book after book, documents, records, journals. Nothing jumped out at him. He did, however, tell Julie that he recognized a lot of the people and references made in her research.

"This can't be easy for you," she said.

He looked up from a binder he was flipping through.

"All these reminders of the life you had, the people you knew. I'm sorry you have to go through this."

His eyes directed back to his research. "It is not easy, but the task with which Miss Mills and I have been entrusted takes precedence over my feelings. I do not have the luxury of grieving." He said it kind of matter-of-factly,so Julie decided to drop the subject.

The whole time, Julie couldn't help stealing glances. At Ichabod, yes, but also his coat which was laid over the back of the couch, his boots, clothing, even the little ribbon that held his hair back. She was in awe of every single thing about this man. After about five hours, Crane rubbed his eyes.

"You look exhausted," Julie said, "and it's late. I think maybe we're done for tonight."

"I believe you may be right." Crane replied, fighting off a yawn.

"Come on upstairs. You hungry? It just occurred to me we never had dinner."

"Yes, I suppose I should eat something."

He grabbed his coat and they went upstairs.

Julie looked in her cabinets for something quick to make. "Easy Mac?"

"Who?" Ichabod responded.

"Never mind," she laughed, as she added the water and put two containers in the microwave.

They sat at the kitchen table and talked a bit over their mac and cheese and some fruit salad she found in the fridge. She asked him about what 'new' books he had read, what modern conveniences he liked or didn't like, and she cleared up a strange question he had about whether apes rode horses nowadays.

At one point Crane asked her about space exploration, which she thought may be best explained by showing him a video on YouTube. She went into the living room to get her iPad and found a video of a view of Earth from space. She handed it to him and sat back down. As he watched it, she watched him. His eyes lit up with awe and wonder like a child's. "This is...amazing." After a bit, she walked over and leaned down next to him to forward the video to a view of the other planets. "And there's the rest of our solar system." Her face brushed against a piece of his hair. She held back a sigh. She lingered there a moment longer than she should have. She was already so attracted to him for so many reasons, and then proximity became her worst enemy. Her better judgment and self-control were instantly absent. In one motion she reached her hand out to turn his face toward hers and gave him one long tender kiss.

She backed up just far enough for their eyes to meet for a moment, keeping her hand on his surprisingly soft beard. _What did you just do?_ …_God his eyes are brilliant._ She waited for a reaction. A negative reaction. Any reaction. _Nothing? Oh, he must be pissed._ Then to her surprise he leaned in and returned her kiss. _What?_ A few more kisses. _Oh god._ They begin to flirt a bit with their tongues. _I can't believe this is happening. _"Mmm…"she let her feelings escape from her mouth. In that moment, Ichabod pulled away.

"Oh, God. Oh, my...I...oh, I'm so sorry...I…I've got to go." He stood up quickly and grabbed his coat which he put on while heading toward the front door.

"Crane, wait! I'm sorry! Don't go." Julie said, crouched next to the kitchen chair where he was sitting.

"No, really." He half turned around, looking near her, not at her. "Thank you for your...hospitality. I really must be on my way." He went to the door and opened it.

"How are you going to get home?" She stood up and followed after him.

"I'll call a taxi!" He called as he sprinted down the porch steps.

"You're two hours away and across state lines!"

"I have Miss Mills' credit card!" He went down the driveway and started down the street.

"Crane!" she yelled for him from the front porch. He kept going and didn't look back. She knew enough to just leave him alone at that point.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit." She said out loud to herself, lightly punching her bannister post. _Oh, Julie. What have you done?_ She was ashamed and sorry at what a bad idea that was. But at the same time, she could still taste his mouth and she didn't completely regret it. _You're a horrible person._ She put her fingers to her lips. _He's so hot. _She also noticed he kissed her back at first. That was kind of amazing. But still, how was she going to face him? He was married. Weird, alternate dimension married, but still married. And he was a man of honor. She may as well have been a snake with a damn apple.

She went back down to the library, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to sleep for a myriad of reasons. She began looking through some notes taken by people surrounding Washington when he was General. She came across one small piece of paper that fell out of an envelope when she was taking out some other documents. It was written in what looked like some sort of code. She didn't know for sure if it meant anything but she knew she had to get it to Crane. "Shit."

After a few hours of extremely interrupted sleep, she took a quick shower, got in her car and drove back to Sleepy Hollow.


	4. The Talk

Julie got in her car and started out for what was quite possibly the last place on Earth she wanted to go. Last night she tried to scan the note so she could just e-mail it to Frank, but the paper was so thin the writing on both sides bled through on the scan. Of course it did. She stopped along the way for yet another meal handed to her out of a window. She hadn't seen her kids in two days, she was eating crap food, and there was a distinct possibility that she may have to see Crane. Awesome. She arrived at the precinct at about 11am and walked directly to Irving's office, hoping to avoid seeing Ichabod. She opened the door and saw him standing there talking with Frank. Of course he was.

"Oh. Hi." She said uncomfortably, looking anywhere but directly at either of them.

"Ms. O'Connor," Crane said, avoiding eye contact as well.

"I found this last night in my archives. Thought it might be important. Also, here's your bag of stuff you left at my house." She walked over and put the items on Frank's desk in front of Crane.

He said an awkward "Thank you." She turned to leave.

"Jules, wait," Irving said. "I'll walk you out." She reluctantly paused long enough for Frank to come over to her and walked out with him. After the door closed, Frank went off on her. "Would you like to tell me what the hell happened last night, Julie?" He waved a small paper in her face. "Because Crane just handed me a receipt for a $1200 taxi ride that I have to authorize the department to reimburse and _he_ won't tell me why. - Why did no one tell this man about buses? - Then you show up shortly thereafter, which makes it even more confusing why he couldn't just ride back with _you_. Not to mention the palpable tension between you two in there just now. What the HELL is going on?"

"Oh, Frank. I screwed up. I mean I _reeeally_ screwed up." she paused. She had assured him he could trust her. He was already angry. This wasn't going to be pretty. "I kissed him."

"You WHAT?" He said it loud enough that half the officers and staff in the room turned to look. Frank looked around at all the curious eyes. "What?!" he barked at them. They all knew enough to go back to whatever they had been doing.

"I know. I know! I'm an idiot. A big _stupid_ idiot. I just..."

"I'm not even the least bit interested in getting involved in this fiasco, but I need you to fix it. Now. I'm sending him out here."

Julie hated that she disappointed Frank, who went in and spoke briefly to Ichabod. As she saw them talking through the glass she wondered if Frank told Crane that he knew what happened. Ichabod walked out and approached Julie.

"Hello." They were still not looking each other in the eyes.

"Yeah. Hi."

"Apparently, we need to talk."

"Talking is overrated. I say we give this avoiding each other and awkward silence thing a fair shot first. What do you say?" she said, making a half-hearted attempt at lightening the mood. Not that she didn't actually prefer her option to Irving's.

"Ms. O'Connor..."

"I know. OK, you're right." She reluctantly suggested, "Lunch?"

"Very well." Crane agreed.

They ended up at a nearby diner. They didn't talk much at all on the walk there. They sat in a booth and began to look at the menus. "I still have no idea what the majority of these items are." Crane confessed.

"I happen to be a diner food expert. Leave it to me."

"If you insist," he agreed reluctantly.

The waitress arrived. "Hi," Julie took charge. She figured she should probably just order something greasy, disgusting and delicious. They were at a diner, after all, and why stop when she was on an artery-hardening roll? "Two bacon cheeseburgers, two orders of fries - one with cheese and one with gravy, and two chocolate milkshakes. Please." Ichabod looked almost frightened. "Don't worry. You'll love it. I promise." He raised his eyebrow with an 'if you say so' kind of look.

As the small talk came to an end, a bit of awkward silence followed. They knew they needed to address the issue they came there to discuss, but neither wanted to be the one to bring it up.

"Regarding last evening," Ichabod started. "I am so sorry. I-"

"NO." She cut him off. "No, no, no. I'm not even letting you _attempt_ to do that. What happened was _my_ fault. One hundred percent. I was out of line, and I am so, so sorry Ichabod." Julie paused and looked at the table. She took a deep breath. "Look, I am not the type of person that loses control of her faculties like that. I'm really not, but you have to understand something. Since I was a young child, I have been utterly fascinated, even consumed, with your time in history. I spent so many nights, and days, imagining myself in your world. For most of my life I felt like I belonged to that era more than my own. Then I met Eddie. Eddie... made me want to live in the present and for the person I am, not the person I wished I was." She felt her eyes beginning to well up. "He stole my heart and made me love him with every single piece of it. When he died two years ago, I fell apart. To cope, I immersed myself even deeper into my work. I would think about these gallant, chivalrous men, and strong, elegant women and the lives they must have led, and the kind of love they must have shared. Eddie gave me that sort of love that I didn't think existed anymore, and then he was gone. Then yesterday there you were, standing right in front of me. A man from the 1700's. The kind of man I have thought about and dreamed about most of my life." She couldn't help herself, "And to make it worse, you look like that." She gestured towards him with her hand. She saw Crane give a very slight smile. She wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or appreciation. Probably a bit of both. She continued, "I cannot even begin to describe how attracted I am to you, for so many reasons, but that is absolutely no excuse for what I did. I know the love you have for Katrina, because I had that with Eddie. What I did was inexcusable, but I hope for the sake of our work relationship you can manage to forgive me."

"Julie," Crane said. She wished he hadn't called her by her first name. The way it sounded sent a tingle through her whole body. _'Jeulie.' _ "You are a lovely woman and I am flattered by your feelings toward me. However, as you said, I am married and very much in love with my wife. Aside from that, and pardon me for saying so, I don't believe you could truly have developed feelings of love towards me after only..."

"Woah, woah. Hold on a second. I did not say I loved you. I said I was _attracted_ to you."

Crane looked a bit confused.

"Oh, boy. How do I put this? These days, it is not uncommon for two people to spend a night enjoying each other's..." her face twisted a bit, trying to phrase it properly, "..._physical _company without it being attached to a romantic relationship."

His eyes widened. "You mean..."

"Yeah."

"Oh." He looked surprised, and a little full of himself.

"Yeah." Julie went back to averting eye contact.

"Is there a term for this?"

"A few. None of them are particularly pleasant. 'One night stand,' 'Casual sex,' 'Booty call.'" Crane's eyebrow wrinkled a bit upon hearing that last one.

"So, you wanted..." His hand moved in circles as if trying to say something without actually saying something.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know, probably. I don't think I'd really thought that far ahead. Can we stop talking about this now? I'm about to crawl under the table and hide."

"I can't say that sort of thing never happened in my era, but it was never so freely discussed."

"Crane..."

"This is interesting," he said, almost haughtily.

"Crane!"

"And it was rarely the woman who made the initial advance."

"Craaane!" She couldn't believe that, in his eighteenth century way, he was actually busting her ass about this. She probably would have cracked up laughing if she wasn't about to die of embarrassment. The food arrived. "Oh, thank God!" Julie said out loud. The waitress set down the food and milkshakes. "Look," Julie said, using the interruption to get their conversation back on track,"I just don't want you to feel guilty about Katrina. This was all on me."

"While I appreciate your willingness to take full responsibility, I am afraid I too played a role in what occurred. If you recall, you were not the only one participating."

"I did notice that," she said, getting butterflies in her stomach hearing him admit it. "but I'm actually little confused as to why. I have to admit I was really surprised when you responded the way you did. I mean, you don't strike me as the type to be tempted that easily."

"Perhaps you underestimate yourself," Crane said.

_Seriously? Did he seriously just try to use flattery to try to avoid answering my question? Yeah, he knows exactly what he's got. It's not working this time, though._ "Shut up. I'm serious." More softly, she asked him, "...I need to know. Please."

Ichabod sat there for a moment as if trying to find the right words, and the courage to say them. "I love Katrina with the whole of my being. She is in my very soul. And while I know she is still alive, I am unable to hold her, or kiss her. Sometimes the pain of that is absolutely unbearable."

"You're lonely," Julie softly said with heartfelt empathy.

Crane nodded. "I woke up over two hundred years in the _future_ to find I have lost everything that I held dear. No family, no friends, no home, no wife by my side, my surroundings completely unfamiliar to me." It became his turn again to avoid eye contact. His arrogance dissipated for a moment. He reminded Julie of the shy kid in class on oral report day, taking a little too much time to get the words out. "I do not enjoy admitting it, however most of the time I feel quite...lost. For that one moment, when you...kissed me, I felt something other than 'lost' or 'alone.' It felt...warm...and comforting." He stiffened up. Vulnerable Crane was once again relegated to his usual position in the backseat. "Not that any of that excuses my actions. My hope is that my momentary indiscretion will be forgiven by my God and my wife."

Julie was trying not to let the tears that were settling in the corners of her eyes escape. She was truly touched that he had opened up to her that way, if only for a moment. She could tell it was very difficult for him to do so. She began to really see him as a person as opposed to some sort of ethereal being. At that moment she honestly just wanted to hug him. She decided instead to opt for moving the conversation forward. In fact, she did have a question.

"So you're going to tell your wife, who is apparently a witch, that another woman kissed you. That's not going to end well for me, is it?"

"Katrina and I have much more pressing matters right now. I doubt that this conversation will take place for quite some time. Also, she has kept a secret from me in the past to protect me, maybe I shall keep one to protect you. When I do make my confession to her, your name will not be mentioned." As nice as that sounded on the surface, Julie knew that meant one of two things. Either, 1. He was lying, or 2. He was not going to tell Katrina about the kiss at all. She assumed Katrina would easily be able to use a spell or vision to figure out who Ichabod was talking about, and she was sure Crane must have thought of that as well. She hoped it would be the latter option, almost as much for his sake as for hers. She was sure he wasn't looking forward to telling her anyway and protecting someone else gave him a valid excuse to rationalize not doing so.

"Thanks, Crane."

He nodded. "Now, what on earth am I eating?"

She was glad he changed the subject. "This, my Colonial friend, is the ultimate comfort food meal. You have your burger; ground beef, American cheese and bacon."

"We have our own _cheese_ now?"

"Yeah, and it's pretty terrible." she smiled.

"Then you have your cheese or gravy fries."

"I am familiar with 'fries' and 'gravy.' Is that orange watery substance also American cheese?"

"Worse. It's processed cheese sauce. It's barely a dairy product." She smiled boastfully. She was pretty sure he was suddenly the one who wanted to crawl under the table and hide. "But the best part is this!" She pointed to the milkshake. "You haven't had one yet, have you?"

"No, I have not."

"Well, go ahead!" Crane tried to take a sip from his straw but the shake was too thick. He looked a little silly with his cheeks sunken into his already thin face.

"You may have to use a spoon until it melts a bit." Julie advised.

He followed her suggestion and scooped up some chocolate frosty goodness. He tasted it. "Oh my...this is marvelous!"

"I told you!" She made another ill-conceived attempt to be humorous. "The two greatest things about my era; chocolate milkshakes and one night stands."

Ichabod almost spit out his mouthful of milkshake but did not laugh.

"I'm sorry." Julie put her hands to her mouth and shook her head. "That was inappropriate. I'm a work in progress, Crane. Bear with me."

"Ms. O'Connor, I believe that we are all 'works in progress.'" Crane said, as he managed a polite smile.

"It would certainly seem that way." She smiled back. "So, are we good with putting this thing behind us?"

"Indeed."


	5. The Ride to Work

"Happy Monday, Crane." Abbie said sarcastically as Ichabod situated his long limbs in her passenger seat. "What'd I miss?"

"Women are…different in this era, Miss Mills," he immediately wished he hadn't said.

"What?"

"I do not wish to elaborate right now if you don't mind," he responded, putting on his seat belt. "What was the culmination of this new evidence in your assault case?"

"Dead end, unfortunately. Because of a rookie mistake the new evidence wasn't admissible. I don't really wish to elaborate right now, either."

"Understood."

After about ten minutes of silence on the way to the precinct, Ichabod hoped maybe she had forgotten about what he said.

"What do you mean 'women are different'?"

It would seem she has not. But Crane didn't keep secrets from Abbie and he wasn't about to start. "Something occurred while you were gone. There is a consultant, a friend of Captain Irving…"

"Julie, right? Irving mentioned her to me on the phone. He said she has a lot of research on the Revolution. Did you find anything interesting?"

His mind reeled at the numerous ways he could answer that question. "She found a scrap of paper that contains some writing that may be of importance. At the very least it is intriguing. However, after spending much time on it, I have reached an impasse as it appears to be encoded with a Vigenere cipher."

Abbie glanced at him, then back to the road. "Oh, that's a shame."

"Indeed."

"Crane?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"What the hell is a Vigenere cipher?"

"Oh. My apologies. Well, before comprehending the Vigenere cipher, one must understand how a Caesar cipher works. You see, it is a method of encrypting alphabetic text in which..."

"Crane!"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"It's not that long of a ride to work."

"Right. In short, I cannot begin to decrypt the note's contents without an as of yet undiscovered code word."

"Thank you," she said, exasperated.

A few more minutes of silence. Subject averted once again. Wrong.

"So what does this have to do with women being different?"

_Just explain what happened, Ichabod. You are going to tell her eventually. _"Ms. O'Connor and I were at her home sharing a meal after an evening of examining her research. When we were finished eating...she made an advance towards me."

"An advance? You mean she came on to you?"

Crane looked at her. Language barrier.

"She...hit on you?"

"Nothing of the sort. She was very gentle, actually."

"Dammit. What? No. I mean she... wait, why am I guessing? Just tell me what she did!"

"She kissed me."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm not repeating it."

"Like, on the lips?"

"Very much so, yes."

"What? What did you do?"

"I fled! Eventually."

"What does that mean?"

"I had a momentary lapse of reason. Then I fled."

"Do I even want to know what that means?"

"Not likely."

"Alright. Let's put it this way. How many articles of clothing ended up on the floor?"

"None!" Ichabod exclaimed, appalled. "My word!"

"Well then, you're probably fine. Wait, were there any hands under any garments?"

"Miss Mills! No, of course not!" He wrapped his coat a little more tightly around himself.

"Hey, don't get snippy. You're the one that had a momentary lapse of something, not me."

"I merely hesitated for a brief moment before putting an end to the kissing."

"Kiss-ING?"

Ichabod scrunched his eyebrows, realizing what he had said. "There were a few."

"All initiated by her, I'm sure."

"Not all." He looked out his window as his left hand frantically fidgeted against his thigh.

"Crane! Katrina!"

He felt his stomach twist. He tried not to get too angry. He felt guilty enough without being scolded by Abbie. "Who? Oh, you mean my wife?" he scowled. "I am aware, Lieutenant_. _Hence, the fleeing."

"Alright, sorry." Abbie said, "I'm just shocked. And a little relieved, actually."

"Relieved?" His brow furrowed.

"You _are_ human! I was wondering."

Crane felt like he should be offended by that remark, although he wasn't sure exactly why. He chose not to respond.

"Wow. I go out of town for less than a week and Crane gets some."

"Miss Mills, may we discuss something else?"

"No way. Not now, or for the foreseeable future."

Ichabod rolled his eyes.

"So tell me, Crane, how did this happen anyway?"

"If you don't mind, Miss Mills, I would prefer to keep the details to myself, out of respect for Ms. O'Connor." _That, and I am desperately trying to forget 'the details.'_

"That's fine. I get that. Just tell me, do I have to kick her ass for messing with my co-Witness? I kinda feel like I should."

"Although I _think_ I appreciate that sentiment, I don't believe kicking of...anything will be required. I truly believe that she is a good person. She is a friend of the Captain, and has been through much over the last few years. I think you may actually get on well with her."

"Yeah, we'll see about that tomorrow." Abbie said, as they pulled up to the police station. "By the way, I'll need my credit card back. Did you need to use it for anything?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

What Crane didn't tell Abbie was that he had spent every night of the last week tossing, turning, praying and crying over this. Over his beloved and his betrayal. He had told Julie they were 'good' as she put it, and he held no ill will toward her, but he was anything but 'good.' He felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. He felt somehow even farther away from Katrina than he already was. And this was one thing he could not completely share with Abbie. Or anyone. This was all his burden to bear, and rightfully so in his opinion.

Tonight was no different for him. Uncomfortable. Restless. He would fall asleep briefly then wake up screaming, "Katrina, NO!" Then came the tears. He couldn't remember exactly what the dream was, but he awoke with the feeling of her being ripped from his arms and him being helpless to stop it. "Oh, my love..." He lay there on his side, held a pillow tight to his chest and wept. He would fall asleep again, and the dream would return. An endless circle until the alarm clock rang.


	6. The Girl Talk

Abbie picked up Crane and they headed to Julie's place. After what happened it was understood that Ichabod would not be going back until Abbie was able to go with him. Irving authorized them to work one day a week at Julie's until they either found something else or were fairly positive there was nothing else to find.

"You look like hell, Crane."

"And a joyful 'good morrow' to you as well, Lieutenant."

"Hey, I'm just concerned. I noticed yesterday you didn't look so great but I just thought it was because you missed me."

Crane managed a half-hearted smile as his eyebrow raised over the high collar of his frock coat. "I haven't been sleeping well since last week."

"Because of what happened with Julie?"

"No, my pillow is just a bit uncomfortable. _Of course_ it is due to what happened with Ms. O'Connor. I betrayed my wife."

_Abbie made a mental note: Lack of sleep equals sarcastic cranky Ichabod._ "I understand that you feel guilty, I really do. But you obviously regret what happened. You need to stop beating yourself up over it. That's what I meant yesterday when I said you were human. You're fallible. You try to pretend you're not but you're just like the rest of us. We ALL make mistakes, even Ichabod Crane. You can't let it get to you like this."

Crane said nothing.

Abbie pulled in to a convenience store. "I'm stopping for a coffee &amp; an egg sandwich. Want anything?"

"I am not hungry."

"You need to eat. You're looking a little skinny, even for you."

"I do not wish to eat, thank you."

"Suit yourself."

Abbie went inside and walked out with two coffees, her sandwich, and a bag of donut holes. She tossed the bag on Crane's lap. "You're not starving on my watch."

"You look after me, Miss Mills, and it is much appreciated." He gave her a slight bow of his head.

"And here." She handed him one of the coffees. "If you're not sleeping well you're gonna need caffeine. We have a long, boring day ahead of us."

"Thank you."

They drove into Pennsylvania and made their way to Julie's. They pulled up in front at about 10:00 and Crane didn't see her car. They were just about to call her when she came pulling around the corner. Crane and Abbie got out to greet her.

"Hey, sorry about that," Julie said as she got out of the car and popped her trunk open. "I dropped the kids off early and tried to get some grocery shopping done before you guys got here. My timing was a bit off."

"No, its fine. We just got here," Abbie said, as she and Crane walked toward her.

He introduced them. "Lieutenant Abbie Mills, Julie O'Connor." They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Shall we help you with these?" He lifted some grocery bags out of the trunk. Among the three of them they managed to get everything in one trip. They set the bags on the island in the kitchen.

"You two go down. I'll be there after I get all this put away." Julie said.

"No, I'll help," Abbie offered. "We'll be down in a few," she said to Crane. He went down to the library, leaving the ladies to get acquainted.

"So, Crane tells me you lost someone, too. Seems to be a theme with us." Abbie began taking items out of the grocery bags.

"My husband, Eddie." Julie nodded. "Car accident. Drunk driver, who didn't have a scratch on him incidentally."

"It happens that way all too often. I'm sorry for your loss. How long were you married?"

"Almost eight years. Hang on a sec." Julie went into the living room and returned with a photo album. "Here we are."

Abbie looked at the open page and saw Julie and Eddie's wedding photo. He was a handsome man with green eyes and black bed head style hair, and a light scruff on his face. Even without the last name O'Connor Abbie would have guessed he was Irish. "You two look so happy."

"We were. We had our moments like any couple, but at the end of the day we always kissed good night and said 'I love you.'"

"What did he do for a living?"

"Advertising. Suit and tie every day type job. Not that I complained about that. He wore them well."

Abbie smiled. "May I?" she asked as she began to flip though the pages of the album.

"No, go ahead! It was nice of you to keep me company up here, by the way. Thank you."

"Well, I figured if we're going to be working together we should probably get to know each other a little bit, right?"

"Sure." Julie smiled, as she continued putting away the groceries.

Abbie turned the page. There was a picture of the wedding party, including best man Captain Irving. _He CAN smile_, Abbie thought, laughing to herself. She flipped through the book and saw a lot of great, happy photos of Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor and their son. The last picture was of the three of them, with Eddie and the son - Abbie guessed about three years old - touching Julie's very pregnant belly. Their faces were beaming. There was a wooden sign on the floor in front of them that read, "Coming Soon" in pink writing. Abbie noticed the rest of the blank pages.

"I just couldn't do it." Julie said. "The accident was a week after that picture was taken. I didn't even have the prints back yet. It was the last photo I could bear to put in there. I know it's not fair, especially to my daughter that she's not in there but I can't. Not yet."

'I can't even imagine." Abbie's heart broke for Julie. Her original intent was to stay upstairs and talk with Julie to test her about Crane. What would she reveal? How would her story of what happened compare to his? But Abbie couldn't press that issue now. There would be time for that later.

After the groceries were put away, they went downstairs and began helping Crane with the research. Abbie observed Crane and Julie throughout the day. They were polite to each other, but there was obvious tension between them. They were extra careful not to come in any type of physical contact with each other. Julie would set a book down, step back, then Crane would come over and look at it. At times it was so awkward Abbie wanted to laugh. They actually looked frightened of each other, like if they touched they would turn to stone or something.

A few hours into the work day Julie asked about lunch. "What do you two want? I could make some sandwiches."

"Please, allow me." Crane offered. "My eyes need a rest."

"Oh, OK. The meat and cheese..."

"I can figure it out, I'm sure. Thank you. I shall return shortly." He went upstairs.

"That was, umm,"

"Weird?" Abbie finished Julie's sentence.

"A little, right?"

"Yeah, you get used to it from that one."

Julie gave an awkward smile.

_Well, no time like the present, Mills. Time to put your detective hat on and find out what this girl's about. _"So, what do you think of Crane, anyway?"

"He's great. I mean, it's interesting - to meet him, you know. Someone from the past. Especially given my line of work."

_Mm-hmm._ "Irving said there was some weird thing about a Guinness Book taxi ride. What was that all about?"

Julie looked upstairs to check if Crane was within earshot. She walked over to Abbie and spoke softly.

"Listen, I don't want to say anything because if anyone is going to tell you it should probably be him. But he won't, because he's...him."

_Here we go... _"What is it?" Abbie played dumb.

"That night, when he first came here, I did something really stupid."

"_You_ did?" Abbie asked, emphasizing the 'You.'

'Yes. As you can see by looking around I'm kind of obsessed with colonial history. Meeting Crane was a little overwhelming. A lot overwhelming. I kind of lost my head for a second and...well, I kissed him."

Abbie stayed silent and let her continue.

"I really don't want you to think less of me, Abbie. I really like you. I mean, I don't have a lot of girlfriends and I'm not saying that we should hang out and do each other's hair or anything, but I like you. However, I know how important you and Crane are to each other and I understand if you don't understand, if that makes sense."

"You know how important we are to each other? You mean because of the Witness thing."

"Not just that. He told me all about how you take care of him, teach him things, help him adjust to his new life. He told me how much he trusts you and cares about you. He didn't say it in so many words, but I could tell he thinks of you as his family."

It made Abbie very happy to hear that, but she would have to process that later. Task at hand. "So you kissed Crane."

"Yeah." Julie shook her head with self-disappointment.

"What was his reaction?"

"He left. He grabbed his coat and just left."

"That's it?"

"That's it. I feel just awful about the whole thing."

Abbie didn't normally like being lied to, but she really appreciated Julie's willingness to protect Ichabod. Abbie decided she does trust her, for now. She didn't believe it was her intent to hurt or manipulate Crane. She was just a lonely woman who found Crane attractive. Not completely ridiculous. _God help her if she does hurt him, though,_ Abbie thought. She considered him as her family, too.


	7. The Dream

_~Two weeks later~_

Ichabod lay in bed, sleeping on his side. He felt a delicate hand touch his back and wrap around to his bare chest. Instinctively, he held it to his heart. A soft voice breathed in his ear, "I need you, Ichabod." He looked up and saw Ms. O'Connor's face above him, gazing softly into his eyes as her hair brushed his shoulder. He glanced down to see she was wearing a very thin cotton dress, held up by two small shoulder straps. The material clung to the shape of her body in such a way that it caused him to lose his breath for a moment. He turned himself toward her, and lifted his hand up to her face. She leaned into his palm and breathed slowly in, then out as her eyes closed. He guided her face down to his and they touched softly; cheek to bearded cheek, nose to nose, lips to lips. He kissed her gently yet passionately, sucking lightly on her lower lip. They kissed again and again. His tongue found hers as her fingertips softly moved up and down his back, giving him a shiver all over. His fingers moved from her face to the nape of her neck, where they lightly tangled in and tugged on her hair as his mouth more deeply mingled with hers. He felt her breathing become heavier as her fingers pressed harder into his back. He nuzzled into her and kissed just below her ear, which elicited a lovely breathy "aah" from her. He took in the sweet scent of her hair and her skin as his tongue and teeth lightly grazed the soft flesh of her neck. She grabbed his shoulder, pulling his body closer against hers. "Ichabod..." she whispered.

He put his mouth to her ear and responded with a throaty "Mmmm."

"Ichabod..." her voice began to sound odd.

"Ichabod..."

He stopped. _What's happening? _

"Ichabod..."

_Katrina?_

He found himself standing in the woods, wearing only the shorts he wore to bed. It was night. Dark and shadowy figures skittered through the trees, making unintelligible noises.

"Ichabod..." Katrina's faint voice called out again. "Ichabod..."

He whipped around, trying to pinpoint where her voice was coming from.

"Let….go!" She was saying more than that, though most of it was indistinguishable. The combination of the whisper of the wind in the trees, the noises of the nocturnal animals and the strange footsteps and voices in the shadows was deafening. He could only make out one of her words here and there.

"Katrina!"

"You...destroying...please...my heart...let ….go…...need you...beg you...to let...go…."

"Katrina! I will not let you go! I will NEVER let you go!" he screamed, at the top of his lungs, spinning around. "Where are you? KATRINA! NO!"

He found himself sitting up in bed again, tears in his eyes, with that feeling of Katrina being torn from him. He tried so hard to remember what happened in the dream, hoping if he could remember he could at least try to deal with it. He was not that fortunate. He couldn't take it any longer. Something had to change. The lack of sleep and the stress had him feeling ill and weak. He wasn't eating. He was losing weight and getting headaches. He was having trouble concentrating, focusing. It was time to set his pride aside and ask for assistance before he completely fell apart.

When Abbie came to pick him up that morning, he wasted no time. He slumped into the passenger seat and said, "Miss Mills, I don't believe I can do this anymore. These dreams...I can no longer function. There have been so many advances in the study of the body and the mind since my era. Is there anything you know of that may assist me?"

"Finally!" Abbie says with relief. "I have had this in my car for over a week now, but I had to wait until you were ready to accept help." She hands him a book. "Lucid dreaming. I think it's your best shot of figuring out what's going on with you and dealing with it."

He flips through the pages. "Dream consciousness. Yes, I had heard of something like this. Aristotle, I believe."

"Well, over the past two hundred years there have been a lot more studies on the subject. With some work you should be able to train yourself to know when you're dreaming and gain control of what happens in the dream."

"Fascinating..." He flips through the pages. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Once again, you have taken care of me."

"Don't worry, Crane. One of these days I'm going to need you to return the favor. You owe me a few by now. I'm keeping track. "

"Noted. You know that I would, of course, help you in any way I am able."

"I know. Listen, if you need any help with this you tell me, OK? I need you healthy, Crane. We have some evil to conquer and I'm not doing it by myself."

"I will let you know if I require your assistance - your _additional_ assistance. Thank you again, Miss Mills."

Ichabod read the entire book that evening, and when he was done he continued to research the subject on the laptop at the cabin. He was fascinated and hopeful. This was going to be the answer. He learned that his eidetic memory was very beneficial to him in achieving his goal. It was his assumption that the first time he had the dream was the only time that Katrina was actually there speaking to him. He was having the subsequent dreams because his mind was still trying to comprehend her message. He did hear it, he just has to 'find' it. The closer he got, however, the more apprehensive he was about actually hearing Katrina's words.

"Let...go..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He spent the next five days preparing. Dream journals, tracking sleep patterns, reality checks over and over... "Am I awake?" "Am I asleep?"

He was ready.

Ichabod lay in bed, reciting over and over what he wanted to dream about, as instructed. "My beloved Katrina. Come to me tonight."

He fell asleep on his side as usual. The dream replayed. Julie came to him. "I need you, Ichabod." He looked up and saw her face gazing softly at him. Her hair brushed his shoulder. This isn't right. He glanced down at her dress. This isn't real. He turned himself toward her, and lifted his hand to her face. This is a dream, he said out loud to her.

He woke up. _Bloody hell. It's alright, Crane. This was expected. Until you are used to being awake in your dreams, the realization could cause you to actually wake up. Oh...dream journal. The sooner I write in it, the more I will remember._ He grabbed the pen and paper he now kept by his bed. 'Julie,' he wrote. _Julie? Why was I dreaming about Ms. O'Connor? What was I dreaming about her? Damn. It's gone._

He went to sleep again, trying to summon the Katrina dream. Once again, Julie came. The hand. The face. The dress. This is a dream. He only thinks it this time. He puts his hand to her face. You're not real. She leans in to his hand. You feel real. Time for a reality check. Crane takes her hand in his, not realizing that alone is him controlling the dream -changing it in a small way. He focuses on her fingernails, painted a soft pink. Change to red, he thought. He closes his eyes for a moment then opened them. They were red. _Yes!_

He wakes up again and immediately grabs his journal. 'Julie. Ms O'Connor was in my bed.' He can't believe what he is putting on the paper but he remembers as he writes. The details about her hand...voice...hair... dress..._Why am I not having the Katrina dream?_ Then it occurs to him. This WAS the Katrina dream. He just has to stay in it long enough. Then come the horrible thoughts. _Katrina knows. She knows about what happened with Ms. O'Connor and is furious. She wants me to let her go because of what I did. Dear God, no..._

He sleeps once more, asking for the dream about Katrina to present itself. He knows if Ms. O'Connor comes, he will have to let the dream play out to allow Katrina to make her appearance. He hoped it didn't go too far. He felt enough guilt already.

She leaned into his palm and sighed as her eyes closed. He guided her face down to his and they touched softly; cheek to bearded cheek, nose to nose, lips to lips. He knew it was a dream. He kissed her again and again. Their tongues. Her fingertips. This is wrong, but necessary. He felt terrible that he didn't hate what was happening. He wrapped his hand in her hair. Deep kisses. Heavy breathing. Her fingers in his back. He wanted her. He needed his Katrina but at this moment, in this dream, he wanted Ms...he wanted Julie. He nuzzled into her neck. He could smell her and taste her. This is so wrong. Where is my Katrina? Julie grabbed his shoulder, pulling his body closer against hers. "Ichabod..." she whispered.

"Mmmm." He responded.

"Ichabod..." her voice began to sound odd.

"Ichabod..."

He stopped. _What's happening? _

"Ichabod..."

_Katrina?_

He was in the woods. _Thank God._ He heard the deafening menagerie of sounds, and Katrina's soft voice somewhere in the mix.

"Ichabod..."

He whipped around, trying to pinpoint where her voice was coming from.

"Let….go! Destroying...my heart..."

"Katrina!"

"Please..let ….go…...need you...beg you...to let...go…."

"Katrina! I will not let you go! I will NEVER let you go!" he screamed, at the top of his lungs, spinning around. "Where are you? KATRINA! NO!"

Wait. Focus. You are in control. He picked up a rock. "when I open my eyes, this rock will be an apple." It worked. I AM IN CONTROL. "I need to see my wife! I need to see Katrina!"

"I am not here, Ichabod… only…voice…..reach you…."

"I cannot hear you! I can't understand! " Whispers, wind, garbled voices, blocking hers.

CONTROL. "Silence. Silence! SIIIILEEEEENCE!" His voice seems to echo back to him from the trees. But then….Quiet. He did it.

"Katrina?"

Silence.

"Oh, no." Did he silence her voice as well? "Katrina my love?"

"Ichabod…"

"Yes, my darling! I can hear you!"

"Let…go…me….please…."

"NO! Katrina!"

"I need you….let…go….for me…"

"What are you saying!?"

CONTROL, Ichabod. "What. Are. You. Saying."

"Destroy…need you…let….go….for me….no…."

"Again! CLEARLY!" Afraid to hear.

"My poor Ichabod! You are destroying yourself! You need to let it go. I need you to let it go. Please Ichabod! I know of your moment of weakness and you need to let it go. Forgive yourself as I have forgiven you. I know I have your heart as you have mine! Please, be well my love! I need you! I need you to come for me and take me from this place! Please! You will come for me, I know you will! But you have to let it go! Please!"

Silence. Relief. Let IT go. Not let HER go. He sleeps.


	8. The Only One Left

They were on their way to Julie's again. Abbie noticed Ichabod looked much more at ease than he had over the past few weeks. He didn't say much about what happened with his dreams and she didn't ask. She was just happy the old Crane was back. As they worked that day, she also observed he was much more at ease around Julie, which made Julie more at ease around him. _Thank God. Their little 'don't look at me don't touch me' dance was getting really old really fast._ After another week, they were actually getting along quite well. Abbie was thrilled. She liked Julie and it was nice for Crane to have someone else besides her to be friendly with.

After another week Irving discussed the progress with the Witnesses. They decided there was not much chance of finding any more answers at Julie's, and that their time could be better spent continuing their research in Sleepy Hollow full time. Julie and Abbie had become friends. They talked on the phone regularly and even had lunch a few times. Ichabod was invited, of course, but declined each time. He always made sure to tell Abbie to send his kind regards to Julie but as he once said he didn't want to "intrude on your womanly time." Abbie decided to not tell him what that actually meant these days, purely for her own amusement.

xxxxxx

Ms. O'Connor would still creep into Crane's dreams occasionally. Even though the scenario was different each time, the one constant was that she made it quite clear what she wanted to happen. Crane was to the point where he could always tell that it was a dream fairly quickly. Knowing it wasn't real, he was tempted to steal a kiss or two, as he did find himself exhilarated by her. In one instance he allowed himself to bring his face down to hers - close enough that he could feel her warm breath on his lips. That made him want much more from her, so he stopped immediately. Another time, Julie caught him off-guard with a kiss, much like the night in her kitchen. There was something about her initiative that he found exciting, but he did not respond to the kiss as he did that first time. Most of the time, though, he dutifully ended the dreams as quickly as they began.

xxxxxx

Julie, too, had the occasional dream about Crane. She took full advantage of the opportunity to feel his passion as she was not able to in reality. As time passed, though, the dreams became less frequent. _Probably for the best _she thought, knowing she could never have him anyway. She did still think of him often. Aside from the physical attraction, he fascinated her. She wished she could have gotten to know him better during the time they spent together.

xxxxxx

**The story fast forwards to immediately after the Season 1 finale. Everything pretty much stays canon. The note Julie found was a crucial missing part of the text that Crane had decoded with the 'Cicero' password. It was as if somebody tore it out on purpose. They wouldn't have been able to capture Headless without it.**

About a week ago, Julie had lunch with Abbie. Abbie told her that there was a lot of "evil shit hitting a giant fan" and she and Crane were "making progress." As fascinating as it was to Julie, and as much as she would love to work with Abbie and Crane again, she had to keep her distance. It wasn't her battle to fight. She thought about all of this as she was sitting in bed in a tank top and shorts, playing a mindless game on her iPad before turning in early for the night. At about nine o'clock, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Julie? It's Cynthia Irving."

Julie knew something must be very wrong. "Cynthia? What's going on? Is Macey OK?"

"She's OK, considering."

"Considering what? What happened?"

"Frank asked me to give you a call. He's in jail."

"What?" Julie hops up and instinctively starts grabbing clothes to put on. _Shit. I can't go anywhere. The kids._ She sat back down on the bed. "What happened?"

"Frank said you know a bit about the...strange things that have been going on lately."

_Two-hundred fifty year old soldiers, witches, headless guy with a gun_... "A bit."

"Well, I don't really want to get into this over the phone but Frank confessed to two murders today."

"Oh my God. I need to talk to you in person don't I?" Julie knew this was part of something much bigger and Cynthia sure as hell couldn't talk about it on the phone.

"Please. And the sooner the better. Frank got word from someone in the precinct that Jenny Mills was in a really bad car accident but they can't get in touch with her sister. We can't find her anywhere, or Crane, or Henry Parrish. Something very bad is going on. I was going to go see Jenny in the hospital to see if she knows anything but so far she hasn't regained consciousness and they probably wouldn't have let me in anyway. Besides, I can't leave Macey alone."

"No, of course not. You stay with Macey. I have to get a sitter but I am on my way. I guess I'll just stop and see Frank when I get there."

"You can't. They moved him upstate. I was going to go back up with him but he said to wait for you to get here so I could fill you in. We're at a hotel so Macey could at least try to get some rest."

"Crap. Alright, well I guess I'll call you when I'm close and you can meet me at the hospital."

"OK great. Thanks, Julie. Look, I know we've all been through a lot these past few years and I..."

"Don't, Cynthia. OK?" Julie cut her off. "I am doing this to help Frank and Abbie and Crane. This is not a favor to you. You and I were lucky enough to get two of the last truly wonderful men in this world. I would give anything to have mine back for just one moment, and you just threw yours away. We got along as the wives of two best friends, but Frank is an extraordinary person who cares so deeply about people, especially you and Macey, and you kicked him out of your life and took him away from her. No matter what your reasons, I am not OK with that. Are we clear?"

Cynthia paused. "We're clear."

Julie waited for Eddie's brother Brendan to come stay with the kids. Luckily, he didn't ask any more questions once she told him it was urgent and that she had to help Frank. As she drove to Sleepy Hollow, her stomach was in knots as she wondered what was going on. _I guess Abbie wasn't kidding about the shit hitting the fan. _ She just hoped there was something she could do once she got there. She called Cynthia when she was a few minutes outside of town.

"I'm almost there. Is Macey sleeping?"

"Yeah, finally."

"Well, why don't I come to you. I don't want you to have to wake her."

Julie went to the hotel. Cynthia filled her in on everything that had happened with Macey and why Frank had to confess to the murders. She also told her that Frank had spoken to Abbie earlier that day and she said something about trying to release Crane's wife. She said Ichabod, Henry and Jenny were all involved. Cynthia didn't know all the details and neither did Frank. All they did know was that Jenny is hurt and everyone else is missing.

Julie went to the hospital to see how Jenny was and if she remembered anything about what happened. Julie managed to use her credentials as a consultant for the Police Department as a way to get into her room. The nurse said Jenny was awake but very groggy and in a lot of pain.

Once she quietly entered the room, Julie whispered, "Jenny Mills?"

Jenny opened her eyes and managed a strained, "Yeah?"

"My name is Julie O'Connor. I don't know if Abbie or Ichabod mentioned me but I did some consul..."

"Where is Abbie?"

"Well, that's why I'm here, actually. She's missing. So are Crane and Henry Parrish."

"Oh, God! Henry!" Jenny started to try to get out of bed.

"Jenny, you are in no condition to go anywhere." Julie tried to help her lie back down. "You have a concussion, a broken arm and some cracked ribs."

"You don't understand!" Jenny looked right into Julie's eyes. "Listen to me! The Saint's name! Henry Parrish! I found a sign! SAINT. HENRY'S. PARISH!"

Julie stepped back. She knew what that meant. Crane had told her what would happen when the Saint's name was revealed. She was the only one left who could possibly help her friends. "Tell me where they went."


	9. The Woods

Julie managed to get to the general area where Jenny said she and Abbie had seen Moloch all those years ago. Jenny told her the coordinates where Crane, Abbie and Henry were headed were not too far from there. It was the only lead Julie had. She got out of the car with her flashlight in hand. Luckily, something about her conversation with Cynthia led her to believe she should wear durable clothing. She had on work boots, jeans and a pink t-shirt under a dark blue hoodie. She walked along the edge of the paved road to see if she could tell where they may have entered the woods. She kept an eye out for any disturbed ground or fresh footprints. _This is horrible. I can't see anything._ Almost every part of her said to go back and start again in the morning, but there was another part that knew every second counted while her friends were still missing. She tried not to imagine what horrible things could have happened or could still be happening to them. She had walked for a few minutes when she came across some tire tracks, as if someone peeled out in quite a hurry, but she had no idea if they were fresh tracks or not. She paid particular attention to that part of the side of the road where it met the woods, just in case. She knew little about tracking, just her common sense and a little bit she learned from watching TV. She noticed there was disturbed gravel and some broken branches. _Well, here goes._

Raised Christian, Julie'd had a bit of a love/hate relationship with God since Eddie's accident but she figured it couldn't hurt to ask for a little help from above at that moment. After all, she was fighting evil, right? At the very least it made her feel a little less desperately alone. She crept deeper into the wooded area, trying to follow what little path Crane and the others had left behind them. After about thirty minutes of walking and backtracking and changing direction and being terrified multiple times by sounds of innocent woodland creatures, she came to a small clearing. Because of the darkness she couldn't tell if they were white or not, but she saw four trees in a perfectly straight line. It had to be the ones Jenny told her about. She got closer and shined her flashlight on them. They were absolutely white, and two of them were covered with vines as if something had been tied to them and then let loose. She walked over and saw a piece of black cloth hanging from a sharp branch on one of the trees. It was a beautiful satiny material that was ripped from something larger. It didn't look like anything Crane, Abbie or Henry would have worn. Well whatever the case, something definitely went on here recently. _OK, so now what? Well, they aren't here now, so keep tracking. What happened next? _She shined her flashlight up and down the path. The dust was very loose. Someone or something definitely came through here tonight. Before following the path, she decided to look around this area some more. She noticed there was some recently disturbed ground near er feet. She knelt down. She moved away the leaves that were lightly strewn over the area. There was loose dirt underneath. She cleared the leaves, following the edge of where the solid earth met the loose ground. It went a few feet then turned to the left, then left again, then again, until Julie saw the shape of..._Oh. My. God. This is a grave. Somebody's fucking buried under here. Ohmygod. Ohmygod. What do I do? _She put her face down to the soft dirt. "Hello?" _Ohmygod. I have to get them out! Wait, get who out?...What if Crane &amp; Abbie put someone in here? Don't be stupid, Julie. They wouldn't bury someone alive. That's pure evil. _And she was sure as hell nobody would be taking the time to bury the dead. No. Someone was put down there. Alive. Hopefully still alive. One of the good guys. One of the Witnesses. "I'll be right back! I'm coming to get you! Do you hear me?" She screamed into the ground beneath her.

She ran as fast as she could back to her car to find something, anything to help her dig. As soon as she was close enough she hit the key fob to open her trunk. She ran over and flung it the rest of the way open. Ice scraper. Tire jack. Grocery bags. _Shit._ Tool box. Jumper cables. _SHIT._ Stuffed animal. Garbage, garbage, garbage..._SHIT!_ There was nothing there even remotely useful. Julie grabbed a pair of utility gloves, slammed the trunk and rushed back to the dirt pile while putting on the gloves. When she got back to the clearing her knees fell hard to the ground. "I'm here!" She shouted into the ground at whoever may have been under there. She began to slide the dirt aside, then push it up and out of the slowly growing dip in the ground. When it got too low to slide the dirt out with her hands, she took off her sweatshirt and laid it flat beside her in the hole. She loaded as much dirt as she could onto the hoodie and when the pile was large enough she picked up the edges creating sort of a makeshift satchel, which she then lifted up and dumped out on the ground above. She repeated this over and over, her mind racing, dreading what or who she may find down there. Every few minutes crying out, "I'm coming! I'm coming to get you!" God, please let Crane be OK. Please let Abbie be OK. If she wasn't so overtaken by adrenaline and the task at hand, she would probably have been sobbing. But she wasn't. She was determined. Lifting her dirt-filled garment out of the ever-deepening trench became harder and harder. Her arms were in pain. Her back hurt. Her legs were sore. Her pink t-shirt was covered in black. Still, she was determined not to stop. Not until she found who or what she was going to find. _The dirt is still loose, so you keep going. Keep...going...God I'm so tired... _and then, something. Her gloved hand scraped against something that wasn't dirt. It was hard. She took off one of her gloves and felt it with her bare hand. She gasped. It was wood.


	10. The Longest Night

_The wooden lid slammed shut. "No!" Crane screamed, "Don't do this! Please!" He could hear dirt being placed upon the box in which he lay, restrained by strong vines. The dirt was being dumped into the hole at a very rapid pace, no doubt being manipulated by Henry. By Jeremy. His son, the Horseman of War. He struggled against the vines but each time he did they clenched even tighter around his whole body; his chest, his neck. He began to feel lightheaded... _

Ichabod awoke to a scratching sound above him. It took him a moment to remember where he was. Underground, again. He didn't know why he had lost consciousness or how much time had passed, but thought it couldn't have been very long since he was still able to breathe. "Hello?" He tried to call out but was barely able to make a sound. The vines were still tight around his throat. After a few moments he began to see a bit of light flickering through the small spaces between the wooden slats. _That's not the sun. Is that...a flashlight?_ More scratching noises. Then, he heard someone.

"I'm here! I've almost got you! Hold on!"

_Is that Ms. O'Connor's voice? Impossible. Your brain is obviously deprived of oxygen causing you to hallucinate. She couldn't be here. _

"Crane? Abbie? Hello? Do you hear me? I'm almost there!"

_It is her._ He tried to call to her, "Julie." It came out as a whisper. Once more, a little louder, "Julie." The straining of his throat against the vines made him cough.

"Hello? Ichabod? Is that you?"

_She heard me._ "Yes."

"Oh thank God! I've almost got you out of there! If I climb out can you push the lid open?"

He could only manage a faint, "No. Re- *cough* -strained."

"OK. Alright. Umm...Plan B." After a few moments, she called to him, "I'll have to get more of this dirt out before I can lift it from the outside. Will you be OK in there just a little longer?"

"Yes," he croaked. He wished he could say more but he just didn't have the ability. He wanted to say that his lungs were beginning to fill with clean air coming in through the small spaces between the boards and it felt wonderful. He wanted to ask her how she knew to come here and retrieve him. He wanted to say that when he heard her voice he was so overwhelmed with joy and relief that he felt like crying. He wanted to say thank you. _Another time, perhaps._

xxxxxxxxxxx

Julie hurried to remove the rest of the dirt, except for a small pile she kept in one corner so she could climb high enough to hoist herself out. She stepped back onto the solid ground and started to look for something she could use to pry the coffin open. She found a long branch with a tapered end that she hoped she would be able to wedge in to lift the lid. She didn't know what else was going on yet but what she did know was that Crane was alive. Despite the fact that this was just the beginning of a much bigger war, for the moment she had won this battle, and it felt like a sublime victory.

She maneuvered the branch down and tried to slip it between the lid and the edge of the box. It took her several tries but then, "I've got it!" Slowly she tried to lift the top up enough that she could wedge the branch inside. Again it took a few tries, as the leverage at this angle was very awkward. On her fourth try, she managed to flip the lid up high enough that so she could slide the branch in between just before it fell back down. Once that was wedged in, she ran and got another branch that had a broken limb protruding from the side of it. She lay on the ground on her stomach near the hinge side of the box, reaching the branch across and down to latch it onto the lid. _Finally, something worked on the first try._ She carefully pulled it open. She looked down and saw Ichabod, lying there helpless in a terrifying tangle of vines. _My God._ She immediately slid down into the wooden box and straddled Ichabod's waist, taking out a utility knife. When she put that knife into the pocket of her jeans before she left the house, she thought she may need it for something. She had no idea it would be this.

"Sorry about the less than proper seating arrangement, Crane. There's not a whole lotta room in here for two people and I have to get these off of you."

"Under...stood," he strained.

"I'm going to start with these," she motioned to the vines around his chest. "First to allow you to breathe more easily, and secondly to give me more room to take care of the vines _around_ your neck without severing anything _inside_ your neck." She managed to slide her hand behind one of the vines and began to saw through with her knife. It was not easy. The first one took her about twenty minutes to break completely through. Each one was a little easier than the last, though. It seemed that when one was cut, it slightly loosened the grip of the remaining vines. _It must be all one giant creepy plant_, Julie thought. When his chest was freed, she wriggled down and lay on top of him so she could get a close look at the restraints around his neck. Her head was leaning on his shoulder as she carefully pricked at the tangled mess. It felt very awkward being this close to Crane, especially without any conversation. She knew he couldn't say anything so she decided to break the silence with some small talk.

"Again, sorry for the close quarters. Gotta say, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I've thought about being on..."

Even without being able to move his head Ichabod was able to shoot her an unmistakable look of disapproval out of the corner of his eye.

"Never mind." _What is the matter with you around this guy? He doesn't think you're the least bit funny. Plus he was just buried alive and the world may be ending. Shut. Up. _She continued with her task in silence.

xxxxxxxxxxxx  
_  
_Julie sat up on Crane's torso. "Well, that's done. How do you feel? Are you able to talk?"

Ichabod stretched his head side to side took a deep breath. "Somewhat better. Yes. Thank you," he said with a bit more strength in his still quieter-than-usual voice.

"I'm sorry I nicked you a couple times."

"Small price to pay considering your task."

She started on his arms. Luckily, the majority of the vines that were holding them were the same ones that held his chest. He could already move them a little bit.

Crane looked up at Julie. She was a mess. Her hair half pulled back and half falling everywhere, her entire body covered in dirt and sweat, cutting at these dreadful vines. He thought about the fact that she spent the last several hours trying to save him with no one to help her. "When I said thank you, I meant thank you for coming. For doing all of this."

She stopped cutting and looked at him. "How could I not? There was no choice to be made here, Ichabod. You're very important to...to this war we've found ourselves in." Crane thought he saw her eyes get a bit glossy as she looked away from him for a moment before saying, "I'm just glad you're OK."

"How did you know I was here?"

"Jenny told me where you guys were headed." She resumed her cutting. "It was actually dumb luck that I noticed the ground here before wandering off."

"Why did Miss Jenny not accompany you?"

"She was in a car accident. She's in the hospital."

"Oh, no. How severe are her injuries?"

"Bad enough. Concussion, broken bones, they're not sure about internal stuff yet. She doesn't remember anything about the accident. She just remembers seeing the Saint's name and trying to warn Abbie."

"The Saint's name? St. Henry's Parish. Of course." He remembered the church from his era and never thought about the connection until that moment.

"So you know about Henry?"

"I know more than I wish to about our Mr. Parrish," Crane answered. In that moment everything came rushing back to Ichabod. He began to struggle to sit up. "My son. Abbie. Katrina. We must hurry!"

Julie held him down. "Crane, calm down. I'm going as fast as I can."

xxxxxxxxx

When Julie was done with cutting Crane's arms loose she helped him to sit. He insisted to her that he release his own legs, over which she was uncomfortably crouched. He reached out his hand to take the knife. "You have done more than enough, Ms. O'Connor. Rest."

She kept the knife in her hand. "Sure, because it's not like _you've_ gone through any physical stress over these past few hours."

He looked at her. He said more with his silent face, raised eyebrow and still-outstretched hand than most people could in a thousand words. He was not taking no for an answer. She handed him the knife and asked, "So what am I supposed to do? Sit on your lap?"

Crane leaned to the side. She stood up and awkwardly maneuvered around and behind him. As weird as it was to be chilling out in a coffin, Crane was right. She needed to rest. She slunk down and sat with her arms resting on her bent legs, facing Crane's back. "So, what happened?"

"We needed a witch to cast a binding spell to prevent the arrival of the second Horseman. Miss Mills and I opened the door to Purgatory with the intention of freeing Katrina. However, once we advised her of our plan Katrina informed us that she was not able to leave unless someone took her place."

"...Abbie?"

Crane nodded. "I left her there. I swore I would return for her but I just left her there, fulfilling the prophecy that I would deliver her into the hands of Moloch." He was beginning to cut a little more harshly into the vines.

Julie knelt behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Did you leave her there or did she choose to stay?"

He glanced back at her for a moment. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters, Ichabod. Abbie is a strong woman and wouldn't do anything she didn't want to do. She stayed because you needed Katrina to help end this. That is not your fault. None of this is your fault." She hated to bring it up but, leaving her hand on his shoulder she softly asked, "Where's Katrina?"

He didn't say anything right away, but Julie felt his body shake as if he was holding something back. Tears? Rage? She wasn't sure.

He continued cutting. She could hear anger building in his voice. "Katrina and I came back into this world and she tried to cast the binding spell. It wouldn't work because the second horseman was already there, standing next to us."

"Henry."

"Yes. He had - has - powers. He bound us to these trees. Then he revealed that he was not only the Horseman of War, but..." He dropped his head and swallowed audibly. "...our son, Jeremy."

Julie wanted to do or say something but she couldn't find any words that would possibly be appropriate.

Crane continued, "He hates us for abandoning him and now calls Moloch his true father. He has become…pure evil. He buried me in here, hoping I would die a slow and painful death, no doubt. And Katrina...his mother - he literally handed her over to the Horseman of Death right in front of my eyes. He rode away on his horse and took her God knows where and is doing God knows what..." He was hacking away at the vines so fiercely Julie was afraid he would hurt himself.

"OK Crane." She brought her other hand up and lightly rubbed his shoulders. "Calm down. You'll be no help to her if you sever a major artery with my pocket knife."

"I have to get out of here! I have to...DAMMIT!" He cut his finger and dropped the knife. It wasn't a terrible cut but it was bleeding.

"Alright, that's it." She reached around him and grabbed the knife, squirmed her way past him, and knelt over his thighs, facing his feet.

xxxxxxxxxx

When she was done freeing his legs, Julie helped Ichabod to stand.

"What do you say we get the hell out of here?"

"That sounds like a marvelous idea."

"I did have a dirt pile here, but when I opened the lid..."

"I'll hoist you up. Once you are out, you can assist me."

"Sounds like a plan."

Ichabod laced his fingers and Julie stepped up, reaching her arms to the solid ground above.

He glanced toward her. As much as he liked to pretend he was above such thoughts, he couldn't help but notice this was the second time recently that he found himself in close proximity to this part of an attractive female's anatomy. _Strange, this era...trousers…_ He lifted her up and she crawled out. He took her hands to steady himself and used the coffin lid as a step, landing on his stomach on the ground. He squirmed up and Julie helped him to his feet.

"Where do we go from here, Crane?"

"I do not know," he said half under his breath as he looked around him. "He rode off with Katrina in that direction." He began to walk briskly down the path.

Julie followed behind. "Not to question your methods, but do you realize how many hours have gone by? They could be anywhere by now. I have a car you know, if you have any idea where he may have taken her."

"I can't imagine...The cave. Of course! The cave where I awakened. The place where she saved my life. It's only a theory, but I assume he would want to take her there as punishment for her love for me, and a constant reminder to feed his anger. We must hurry."

They rushed toward Julie's car. As they got to the road, Ichabod noticed she was shivering.

"Are you alright, Ms. O'Connor? You are shaking."

"Well, it's pretty chilly out here, I'm covered in sweat, and my hoodie is coated with dirt." She lifted it up as clumps of damp ground fell from it. "I'll be fine once we get in the car."

"Here. Take my coat." He began to slide it off his shoulders.

"Your coat?" Julie's eyes widened. "No, Crane. Really. I'm OK. I…I could never drive while wearing that anyway. It'd be huge on me."

Ichabod suspected there was another basis for her objection, but decided not to press the issue.

They got in the car and Crane instructed Julie where to go. The more he thought about it he was sure this was where he would find them. Julie pulled across the oncoming lane and pulled to the side, at the same place where Ichabod first stepped onto the unfamiliar paved road.

He unbuckled his seat belt. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me this night, Ms. O'Connor. You have saved my life and possibly the life of my Katrina as well."

"You are very welcome. Now, let's go get your wife." She unbuckled her seat belt and started to open her door.

He grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm coming with you, obviously."

"No, you are not!" he said indignantly.

"Crane! Are you out of your mind? You can't go in there by yourself."

"On the contrary, Ms. O'Connor. It is you who cannot put yourself in additional danger. I won't allow it."

"Ichabod! That is my decision!" she contended.

"You are wrong," He tried not to sound as angry as he actually was that she was not heeding his words. "This is not your fight. It is mine. You have two small children who have already lost their father. I will not be responsible for them losing their mother as well."

She shouted, "It won't matter if they have a mother or not if you get yourself killed in there and nobody's left to stop the Horsemen from bringing about the fucking apocalypse! Now, will it!?"

Ichabod looked into her eyes, took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "This is not up for discussion, Ms. O'Connor. Go home." He got out of the car.

He walked around the back of the car and toward the stream that passed across the cave entrance. He heard a car door slam behind him. He paused, closing his eyes and pursing his lips with frustration. He turned on his heel and stomped back to the car, backing Julie up against the car with his body so his head was just inches from hers. He pointed his finger in the small space between their faces and said through clenched teeth, "I will not say this again. Go. Home." He turned and walked back toward the cave.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Julie watched the light from Crane's flashlight flitter through the stream and disappear down into the cave. She stood there waiting a few minutes, in case he came back out. He didn't. She slid down the driver's side door to the pavement, buried her head in her hands and started to cry. It was the first moment she had to think about everything that had happened. Everything she had been through since she got here tonight, how exhausted she was, how much pain she was in, everything Crane told her about his son and Katrina and Abbie, even the strong feelings she had for Crane - whatever they were - all came streaming down her face. She stayed there for quite a while, purging herself of all the emotions that the adrenaline had repressed over these last several hours. She just sat there and cried. Eventually she stopped. She looked over at the motionless cave. She stood up, got in her car and drove away as instructed.


	11. The Rescue

Crane entered the cave where he first awoke in this century. He quietly stepped past the ground from which he arose, feeling along the wall for some sort of passage deeper into the cavern. He had shut off his flashlight. It was pitch black and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. The element of surprise was his most powerful weapon. More accurately, it was his only weapon.

As his fingers moved along the damp walls, he began to wonder if he had made a mistake. What if he had told Julie to leave in haste and this was not where Katrina was taken? He could hear no sounds, see no light. Then the wall began to curve. _A pathway_. He felt his way down the tunnel, realizing he had no choice but to use the flashlight. He tucked it inside his shirt to muffle the light a bit, hoping it would be less conspicuous, yet give him enough light so he could see his way. He followed the passage until it diverged in two directions. He paused, assessing each corridor, looking for clues as to which way Katrina may have been taken. He noticed the path to the right had some spider webs strung across it while the left side was clear. _That answers that._ He began to walk to the left, then his flashlight went out. _Dammit. Batteries? None. Dammit._ He stood there thinking in the darkness. _Quiet, Crane. Listen. Can you hear anything?_ All he could hear was an occasional drip of water and skittering of a rat or mouse. He had no choice but to keep moving forward. Then, he saw what looked like a candle flame about twenty feet away from him. He squinted and could make out a figure cloaked in a light color hooded robe holding the candle.

"This way," a male voice whispered. Crane took a few steps towards the figure and it began to move. "Follow me," it said. Crane really had no other choice right now. He followed the figure deeper into the tunnel.

"Who are you?" Crane called out quietly.

"A friend." The figure answered.

After a few minutes, the figure came to a stop in front of a large iron door. Crane walked up behind. The hooded stranger was about the same height as Ichabod, but with a broader build. Without turning to face Ichabod, the figure said, "This is as far as I can take you, Mr. Crane. Be careful."

"How do you..." Crane started to ask, but the figure was gone. There he stood alone again surrounded by darkness. He put his hand on the lever and pushed, opening the heavy door.

The first thing he saw was light. A single, small lantern hung in the corner where Ichabod stood. He looked around. There was something black in a heap on the floor in the middle of the room. Katrina? He ran over and knelt down. It wasn't Katrina. It was Katrina's dress. _Oh dear God,_ Ichabod became nauseated at the thoughts that were now running through his head as he clutched his wife's gown in his clenched fists.

He heard a scraping noise coming from the dark side of the large room. He stood up, grabbed the lantern from its hook on the wall, and began to walk slowly toward the noise. The lantern's light showed a large table and Crane saw his beloved wife shackled to it by her hands and feet, wearing what basically looked like a dress made from a burlap sack. Her eyes were blindfolded. Her hair was cut, or more accurately chopped, very short. She seemed to be in and out of consciousness as she flinched about on the slab of wood. As he stepped closer to her, he whispered her name. She flinched again, the metal chains that held her shackles scraping on the wooden table. He stepped closer still and began to touch his hand to hers.

Katrina flailed about, trying to pull away. "No!" she screamed. "Please leave me alone!"

"Katrina, it's me."

It took her a moment to comprehend what he had said. "No! You can't...Ichabod?"

"Yes, my love," he said as he removed her blindfold.

"Oh, Ichabod! You're really here?"

"Yes, now we must move quickly and get out of here." Ichabod looked around for something he could use to free the restraints. He picked up a small nail he found on the ground and began to pick at the lock of the cuff holding Katrina's right hand.

"We must hurry! He cannot exist in daylight so he must return here before sunrise. ...How did you unlock that shackle so quickly?"

"One of the many useful tricks Miss Mills has taught me during my time here. For example, whilst I cannot drive a car, I now possess the ability to 'hot wire' one."

"I do not understand what you're saying to me, Ichabod."

"It's not important, my darling," he said as he continued unlocking the remaining cuffs. "Come." He helped her down from the table. "Can you stand?"

"I think so..." Katrina responded weakly. "The shackles were somehow preventing me from using my powers though I can feel them slowly returning now that I am free."

Ichabod asked a question to which he dreaded the answer. "Did he...hurt you?"

"No, not really." She motioned over to a chair that sat next to her crumpled dress. There was a note on it.

The note read, "You do not deserve the beauty which you have been given. I shall destroy it."

"He brought me here and made me change my dress and cut off my own hair. I fought him at first but I hadn't completely recovered from being unconscious..."

"It's alright, my darling."

"Then he blindfolded and shackled me here and left."

"Oh, thank God," Ichabod said. "I mean thank God that nothing else..."

Katrina touched his face. "I knew what you meant, my love."

Ichabod grabbed the lantern and they began to scurry down the tunnel towards the exit. This seems too easy, Ichabod thought as they found themselves approaching the cave's exit. He helped Katrina out first and then climbed out onto the ground. He found himself and Katrina face-to-face with their son.

"Well, I hadn't expected a family reunion so soon," Jeremy said. As he raised his hand, Ichabod and Katrina began to lift off the ground. Then suddenly Jeremy fell to the ground, as did his parents as his evil grip on them loosened.

Ichabod looked up. He saw Jeremy begin to stand up. Then the figure he had seen in the cave came rushing across the grass and attacked Jeremy. They fought, using a combination of fists and magic. Suddenly, Ichabod saw Katrina leap up and run toward them.

"Stay away from my son!" she screamed as she threw herself into the middle of the melee. Ichabod stood, but he knew it would do no good to follow his wife into the middle of their evil battle.

"You heard my mommy. Leave me alone," Jeremy said sardonically as he grabbed Katrina around her waist, using her as a shield from his opponent. "Do you think you can win this fight? This war? You are useless! You are all useless!" he bellowed as he flung Katrina high in the air like a rag doll. She landed hard against the rocks near the stream. Ichabod ran to her. She was unconscious and her head was bleeding pretty badly. He was pretty sure her left arm was broken.

"No...Katrina..." He took her pulse. He could feel it, but it was faint. He was too busy cradling his beloved to pay any attention to the ongoing supernatural brawl nearby. After some time has passed, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the cloaked figure standing next to him.

"We need to get out of here. The sun's already started to rise," the 'friend' explained.

"Where?" Crane was trying not to sound as completely lost and confused as he actually was.

"You need to drive the car." the figure dropped Abbie's keys into Crane's hand.

"How did you get...I can't operate a..."

"You have an eidetic memory. You can operate a vehicle."

Ichabod was becoming angry. "Who are you? How do you have Abbie's keys? How do you know these things? Where are we taking Katrina?"

"I told you, I am a friend. I got the keys from him." He gestured over to a seemingly unconscious Jeremy, who apparently took Abbie's car to get here.

As the sun began to shine just a bit of light, Crane could see the outline of the man's face and a glint of green eyes. He seemed familiar to Crane but he didn't know for sure. He hadn't gotten a very good look.

"We need to get Katrina back to the door to Purgatory. I don't think she has much time left and we need her conscious in order to get Abbie back to you."

"You don't think she has much time left? What are you saying?"

"Mr. Crane, you and Abbie have your mission. Katrina has hers, too. It is, it has always been, to sacrifice herself for the Witnesses."

"No!" Ichabod held Katrina to his chest.

"Come on."

Crane carried Katrina to the car and placed her gently across the back seat. He asked his 'friend', "Can you drive?"

"Not since I died. Sorry."

Ichabod rolled his eyes and gets in the driver's seat. "So, you're dead, yet you are here with me. What are you, exactly?"

"A force for good."

"What, like an angel or something?"

"Not quite, but it's probably the closest thing to what I am that you would understand."

Of course the figure was correct, Crane had been in a car and watched people drive enough times that it came fairly easily to him. They went back to the spot where Katrina first entered into this era. Ichabod lifted her gently out of the car and laid her down on the ground. The figure knelt down beside them. He held Katrina's hands.

"Wake up, Katrina. It's time."

She slowly awakened. "Time? So soon?" She looked at Ichabod. "I am sorry my love that I did not tell you. If you had known it was my destiny to give my life for you, you never would have allowed it."

"You're right." Ichabod whispered, tears in his eyes. He held her head in his hand as he lightly stroked her face with his thumb.

The figure interjected, "Katrina, we must go now while you can still take her place."

She sat up and put her hands in his. She turned to Ichabod. "When I leave this time I will not return to you, my love. I know there will be another to hold your heart someday. Be happy. Love and be loved, Ichabod. Please, promise me."

He nodded, tears streaming down his face. She leaned her forehead to his. "I love you." they both said at the same time. She kissed his cheek.

Katrina and their hooded friend began the chant to open the door to Purgatory. He helped her stand and Ichabod watched his wife walk away from him for the last time. Then he waited. He stood there and waited for what felt like forever. He noticed though, that the door between worlds had remained open. _Finally, movement._ The hooded man came walking toward Crane, holding an unconscious Abbie in his arms. He stepped through and the door closed.

"She's badly hurt. You need to get her to a hospital right away." the figure said to Crane, as he handed Abbie over to him and turned away.

"Wait!" Crane stopped him. "You still haven't told me who you are, or how you know all of this."

The man pulled his hood back just a bit, revealing black hair and a better look at his green eyes. "Julie asked for help from above. I never could say no to those big brown eyes."

"...Eddie?"

"It's kind of part of my job now, keeping an eye on this war. I'm not supposed to interfere, generally, but I had to do something this time. Now you need to get her help."

Crane wanted to say something to him, but he didn't know what. He turned to go to the car.

"Crane?"

He stopped and turned toward Eddie.

"I'm sorry about Katrina."

Crane nodded.

"You're a good man, Crane. I'm glad Julie has you and Frank looking out for her."

Crane nodded again.

Eddie gave a small, kind smile and vanished.


	12. The Hits Keep Coming

Crane looked down at his partner, unconscious in his arms. Whoever and whatever she had faced in Purgatory had taken its toll on her. "I cannot do this alone Miss Mills, do you understand me?" he said with desperation as he hurried to the car.

"Crane," Abbie whispered weakly.

"Abbie?"

"You came back for me..."

Crane decided now was not the time for lengthy explanations. He was just relieved she was conscious. "Abbie. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been fighting demons, and you?"

Crane cracked a slight smile. "Glad to see your wit remains intact, Lieutenant." He walked around to the passenger's seat. "Are you able to stand for a moment?"

"I...I don't think I can, Crane."

He awkwardly managed to open the car door while holding her and gently placed Abbie inside. He helped to put her seat belt on, closed the door then walked around and got into the driver's side.

Abbie looked at him. "Am I hallucinating, or are you...driving?"

"I am, indeed. Amazing the things one becomes capable of when the need arises."

"Amen to that." Abbie said, leaning her head back.

She slipped in an out of consciousness on the ride to the hospital. Ichabod brought her to the emergency room and made sure that she was being cared for. He wanted to accompany her inside, but he was not permitted. He let the staff know that her sister was also a patient there so they could be in contact with one another. They gave him a minute with Abbie before he left. She wasn't conscious at that moment. Crane held Abbie's hand in both of his and whispered to her, "Miss Mills, Abbie, I'm so sorry I did this to you. I don't know what I would do if..." He didn't want to finish that sentence. He lifted her hand to his lips and just whispered, "Please be alright, Abbie, please." He closed his eyes tightly as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He would come back later in the day to check on her and Jenny, but right now he needed to rest.

He got into the car and drove towards the cabin. As he got closer he began to smell something. Fire. _No._ As he turned the corner he saw the flames. Crane pulled over and got out of the car. The cabin was engulfed. There was no chance of saving anything. He stood watching. After everything that he had been through over the last day, he couldn't take this. He just wanted to sleep. He was emotionally numb. His body was about to shut down whether he wanted it to or not. He remembered he had taken Abbie's cell phone. He made two calls; one to 9-1-1 about the fire and the other for a taxi. He couldn't chance driving any longer in his present state, especially since he could not produce a license if he were asked for one.

The cab came and picked Crane up at the bottom of the hill, far enough away that the driver couldn't see the cabin. Ichabod asked to be taken to the nearest place where he could find lodging. The taxi dropped him off at a Blue Roof Inn just outside of Sleepy Hollow. He managed to get a room, even though check-in was not usually for another several hours. He entered his room and took off his coat and boots. He quickly washed out the rest of his clothes in the bathtub, figuring he could let the sun dry them while he slept. After his clothes were hung up in the window, he took the longest, hottest shower he had ever taken. Maybe he was trying to wash off this last day. Maybe if he stayed in there long enough Katrina wouldn't be gone, Abbie and Jenny wouldn't be hurt, the cabin wouldn't be in ashes and he wouldn't be so broken and alone. Maybe not.

He got out of the shower and blow dried his hair, then his boxer-briefs. He crawled into his underwear and onto the still made bed, where he passed out as his head hit the pillow.

xxxxxxxx

The alarm rang. Julie reached over to the nightstand and found her phone. Squinting, she pressed the button to silence the alarm. It was 11:30am. She made a deal with the lady at the front desk that if she was out of the room by noon, she would only be charged for one night. Besides, she really wanted to get home and see her kids. She took a really quick shower to wake herself up, put on her gym clothes she had in her back seat - yoga pants, tank top, sports bra - and headed out the door. As she walked past the other rooms on her way to check out, she noticed something hanging in one of the windows. _What the hell... Is that...Crane's clothes? _"There's no way..." She mumbled under her breath. She set her gym bag down, cupped her hands around her eye, and peeked into the room through a small space between the clothes and the curtain. Her jaw dropped. There he was - an almost naked Ichabod Crane sleeping like a rock face-down on the bed. "What the hell am I supposed to do with _this_ now?" she asked herself out loud. She looked behind her as two older women walked by looking at her oddly. She gave them an awkward smile. _Great. Now you are officially a creepy motel room peeper who also talks to herself. Classy, Julie. Just go home. _She peeked in again. _Wow, he looks amazing without clothes on. OK but really, God knows what just happened to him in that cave and he's obviously exhausted. Not to mention, do you really want to torture yourself by being face-to-face with Mr. Boxer-briefs? Just go home._

She walked to her car despite every fiber of her being trying to pull her back to that room. She put on her seat belt and drove out of the parking lot and down the road towards the Interstate. About twenty minutes had gone by when she heard her text notification ring coming from her purse. _Shit, I didn't call Brendan. That must be him. _She pulled over and grabbed her phone.

**'TEXT MESSAGE FROM ABBIE MILLS'**

_What? From Abbie? _She pressed the button to view it.

**'Greetings, Ms. O'Connor. This is Ichabod Crane. I am in possession of Miss Mills' cellular phone. I trust you made it home safely?'**

"You have GOT to be kidding me." Julie said out loud, laughing in disbelief. She sat there wondering how she should respond. After sifting through her initial instincts ('I'll be right there', 'Oh my God, is Abbie OK?,' 'So, boxer briefs, huh?') and much grueling internal debate, she decided to go with, **'I did. Thank you.'** Then she called Brendan and let him know she was on her way. Although she really did want to know about Abbie, she decided the more interaction she had with Crane, the more likely it was that she would find herself turning the car around. She would ask him later, once she was actually home.


	13. The Distraction

Julie had just put the kids to bed and was getting ready to turn in herself. Her hair was plopped on top of her head in a loose pony tail and she never did manage to change out of her gym clothes. They were comfortable enough anyway. She had made herself a cup of tea and was flipping through the TV stations in her bedroom when she heard a knock on the front door. She slipped into a pair of flip flops and went to see who it was. When she got to the door she stood on her toes and peeked out. It was Ichabod.

She turned around and leaned her back against the door. _Come on!_ She thought to herself. _Is this a joke? Is this my destiny? To be constantly tortured by that face for the rest of my life? Is this my punishment for kissing him? Being confronted with what I can't have over and over and over again? _ She closed her eyes. _OK, Julie, get a grip. He is your friend. If he came all the way here for something, he probably needs your help. Grow up and open the damn door._

As she opened the door she saw Crane standing there like she had never seen him before. He looked weak, broken and just...emotionless.

"Crane, my God, come in. Are you OK?"

"I had nowhere else to go," he stated.

"It's fine, Crane, really. Come sit down. I'll be right back." She ran into her bedroom to get the cup of tea and brought it in to him. He took the small mug in his hands, thanked her and took a sip.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Julie asked. She slipped off her shoes &amp; sat with her legs crossed on the other end of the couch from Ichabod. "You don't have to, I just thought..."

"I saw someone, Ms. O'Connor." He spoke, looking at the tea cup.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone helped me free Katrina, and then Abbie."

"So they're both alright?"

"No. I freed Katrina but she was gravely injured. The person I saw took Katrina back to Purgatory just before she..." He stopped.

"So she could free Abbie."

"Yes."

"So Katrina is..."

"Yes."

"Oh, Ichabod, I am so sorry." Her heart broke for him. She knew EXACTLY what that felt like. She wanted to hug him but she didn't want to do anything to make him uncomfortable. Not to mention he wasn't being particularly emotional about the whole thing. Julie assumed he was in shock. She just continued to listen.

"Abbie is badly injured as well. I went to see her and her sister today. She suggested I come here, actually."

"She did?"

"Yes. After I told her the cabin burned down, she practically insisted. She said I shouldn't be alone."

"Wait, what?"

"Someone burned the cabin down. My assumption is that it was Jeremy. Did I also mention he was the one that fatally wounded Katrina?"

"Crane, I...I don't know what to say..." She couldn't imagine how he was even functioning after all of that.

"There is something very important I need to tell you, Julie."

_There's that first name thing again..."Jeulie"...boxer briefs...shut up_..."What is it?"

"The person, or being, that helped me - the reason Abbie is back with us right now - it was Eddie."

Julie was sure she misunderstood. "What did you say?"

Ichabod looked at her. "Eddie. Your husband. He guided me to Katrina and helped Abbie escape."

"Crane, what are you talking about?"

"He called himself a 'force for good' and said he is an observer of the war against the Horsemen."

"My Eddie," she said, trying to wrap her mind around it.

"He told me he came because you asked him to. He told me that before you found me you had asked for help and he said he could..." - he looked back down at his tea - "...never resist your big brown eyes."

Julie gasped. "He used to tell me that whenever he'd let me have my way on something." A smile crept onto her lips. "He...he heard me ask that?"

"Yes." Crane averted his gaze from the mug and looked at Julie with what looked like almost a smile. It was the most emotion she had seen from him since he sat down.

"So he's what, a ghost? An angel? What?"

"I don't know, really."

"But he helped you save Abbie."

Crane nodded.

"...but Katrina..."

"Katrina would have died either way. Our son saw to that. It was only because of Eddie that she made it back to Purgatory in time to release Abbie."

Julie was having so many mixed feelings about what Crane just told her about her husband. A tear fell down her cheek. "Did he...say anything else? About me?"

"He said he is glad that you have Captain Irving to look after you."

Julie felt like there was something else he wasn't saying. "And?"

Ichabod looked back at the tea cup. "He actually said that he is glad you have _me_ and the Captain looking after you."

_Eddie is glad I have Crane?_ She was so overwhelmed with emotions about all of this but she would have to process that later. Right now she was more worried about Ichabod's LACK of emotion. She decided it was just best to keep him talking, and to change the subject.

"How are Abbie and Jenny doing?"

"Miss Jenny is doing very well aside from her broken bones and bruise on her head. She should be released within the next few days. Abbie seemed to be doing well at first. We were speaking for quite some time today. But then it looked like she was overcome by pain and lost consciousness again. The doctors told me I had to leave and that there was a possibility of her remaining unconscious for quite some time as her body's way of coping with the...great amount of pain she is in." He slammed the tea cup down on the end table, stood up and turned his back toward Julie. "Because of my choices."

She saw his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly. He was feeling something for sure. Julie stood behind him and placed her left hand on the back of his coat.

"Ichabod..."

As soon as her hand touched his shoulder he spun around and grabbed her wrist with his right hand.

"What!?" he snapped.

She was startled as she saw his face - suddenly filled with emotion. She saw anger, fear and ...something else in his eyes as he looked back at her. He forcefully pulled her towards him and leaned his head down toward hers. "What?" He growled again. She gasped - she couldn't answer him. They both stood there with labored breath, their faces excruciatingly close to one another. Julie's eyes stared into his, trying not to close every time she felt his breath on her skin.

Everything was happening in slow, fluid motion. Their heads touched lightly, then moved apart. Their noses, then apart. Their cheeks, then apart again, in seemingly endless ebb and flow of yearning and apprehension. His parted lips brushed against hers. As much as she wanted to kiss him, more than that she wanted him to kiss her. She couldn't put either of them through that again. It was up to him to open those floodgates. She lightly brushed her lips against his as if to beg, _Ichabod, please kiss me right now. _

Instead of doing what she had hoped, he whispered, "I need to ask you something."

_Shut up, Crane. _"No, you don't," she breathed. Their lips touched with every word each of them spoke.

"The night you kissed me..."

"Yes..." She felt her heart pounding.

"What you wanted..."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Yes, Crane...The answer is yes. Whatever you want. The answer will always be yes." She didn't want to say another word. She wanted to be silent and wait for him to accept the permission she just gave him. She felt his head tilt slightly as if he was going to do just that. "It's just..." _Oh Julie, why can't you ever just shut up!? You are ruining this._ But she couldn't help being concerned about Crane's state of mind. She didn't want him to regret this, or worse yet change his mind ten minutes from now and run away again. That may actually destroy her.

"Just what?" He moved his face slightly back from hers.

"Ichabod, I know you've been through so much these past few days and I just...are you sure? I mean, this...this isn't going to change anything that happened. It's just a...momentary distraction."

He kept hold of her wrist and slid his other hand up the back of her neck, tangling his long fingers in her hair. "A distraction, Ms. O'Connor," he said through clenched teeth, "is exactly what I am in need of right now. An ardent distraction, if that meets with your acceptance."

She nodded. "Yes," she whispered with what little breath she had, "Yes."

Ichabod gripped her hair more tightly and brought her face to his as he fervently met her with a deep, passionate kiss and a low "mmm". He let her wrist go and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her body to him. She grabbed the collar of his coat with both hands and pulled him closer to her, returning his deep kisses and uttering a soft "mmm" of her own. He slid the tie out of her hair, running his elegant fingers though the falling locks. She began to slip his coat off, gliding her hands up his chest and across his shoulders. He let go of her for just a moment to slide out of the sleeves and flung the coat across a chair. His hands gripped her waist and his tongue found hers once more. It was her turn to slip the tie out of his hair as she clawed at his wavy mane with both hands. He began to kiss her neck. His tongue and teeth glided across her skin.

"Crane..." she cried softly as her hands ran up and down his back. "Bedroom."

"Oh my, yes," he sighed.

She took Crane's hands and walked backwards, leading him, still kissing him. They went into her room and she locked the door. She backed him up toward her bed and pushed down on his shoulders, guiding him to sit. He complied without resistance. She stood between his legs. After a minute or two of passionate kissing, she reached down to his waist, untucked his shirt and lifted it over his head. _My goodness, he is breathtaking. _She stood and looked at him for a moment, resisting the urge to just devour him. She reached out, her fingers twirling through his chest hair and tracing across his long scar. She touched his bearded face as she gently kissed him over and over, her tongue deeply mingling with his. His fingertips gently ran up and down her bare arms, giving her a shiver all over. Julie couldn't wait another moment to feel his hands on her skin. She took off her tank top and tossed it aside. She watched Crane's crystal eyes drink in the sight of her in her thin white sports bra and low-rise black yoga pants, her hungry eyes and aroused body begging him to touch her.

"My word, Ms. O'Connor..." he breathed. He placed his hands on the small of her back and pulled her close to him. They kissed vigorously, her chest pushing against his with every heavy breath. Sighs were plentiful as their hands roamed uninhibited over each others' backs, shoulders, arms. Still, Julie could feel Crane pause with apprehension about venturing elsewhere.

"Ichabod," she whispered in his ear, reminding him, "Always 'yes.'" She guided his hands down from her shoulders to the front of her bra. She felt his breath quiver, as did hers. He caressed lightly over the thin material that clung to her breasts, letting his fingers flitter back and forth across the firm tips. Her head fell back as her breathing became even heavier. _My god, those fingers ... _Crane continued with one hand while he slid the other around her back. He leaned down and his tongue and teeth began to delve into her neck again. She dug her fingertips firmly into his back. His hand slid down the length of her spine and continued down over her pants, exploring more of her curves. With both of his hands and his mouth all having a field day with her body, she was already in sensory overload. _And we're not even naked yet... _

"Crane..." she panted. She lightly grabbed his hair and brought his head up to look at her. His parted lips were moist and inviting. She kissed them once and then made her way to his neck and chest. She reached down to undo his pants. He lay back to make it easier for her. She slid the pants down his hips, revealing the boxer briefs. Julie noticed they were doing a very poor job of containing the excited Ichabod Crane. As her hands moved over his torso, down to his bare thighs and back again, she could hear him softly groan. She let her hand slip once very lightly over the front of the boxer briefs.

"Gah!" he yelped, sitting up.

Julie looked at him. "Did I startle you?"

"No. I mean, yes. Sorry. I mean..." He paused and closed his eyes for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts. "It felt...incredible. Apologies. I am not accustomed..."

Julie couldn't imagine he was used to women taking any type of initiative. "Relax, Ichabod. How about you finish all this." She pointed to his pants hanging jumbled on his boots which were still on his feet.

"Of course." He took off everything except his boxer briefs as she shimmied out of her yoga pants, leaving on her sports bra and cotton bikini briefs. _Had I known I was going to have sex with Ichabod Crane, I would have put on something sexier...but he doesn't seem to be complaining._ She looked over at him. He was lying on the bed on his side, his outstretched hand waiting to take hers. He was magnificent. Slender and muscular and elegant and masculine and just sexy as hell. She took his hand, crawled up on the bed and lay down next to him. She looked at him leaning over her, his wavy hair framing his face and resting on his firm shoulders. She watched his silver-blue eyes take her in slowly, as his fingertips glided along her skin - her arms, her waist, her outer thigh. He leaned down and dotted her mouth with kisses, then her neck, her shoulder. His hands glided gently over her bra again. She quickly reached down and pulled it off over her head. Crane began to make his way toward her chest with his mouth. Again, he hesitated when he got close. And again, she assured him. "Yes..." He softly kissed and caressed her breasts, swirling his tongue on one, then the other and then back again, practically sending Julie over the edge already. She grabbed the sheets in her fists and arched her back, begging for more. Her hips began to move with anticipation as well. Her outer thigh rubbed against his hardness. He pressed into her leg as he grabbed her opposite hip clenching the only piece of clothing she still had on. He slowly slid his hand over to her stomach. _Yes, Ichabod, please. Don't make me tell you it's OK again..._ He didn't. He slid his fingers along the top band, back and forth, a little lower each time until he touched her warm wetness.

"Ohh..." they both said almost in unison. He lightly explored her with his fingers, as she leaned down and pulled her bottoms off, allowing him unrestricted access to her. Crane continued to stroke her intimately, her thigh still pressing against his girth. As his fingers teased her, once again Julie feared it was apprehension stopping him from going further.

"Yes, Cra-" Before she even finished saying his name, he slid one finger inside, then another. "Yes!" Julie's hips pushed against his hand. She couldn't get enough of him. His mouth and tongue were still vigorously attending to her sensitive peaks. "Ichabod! Oh yes!" He slid yet another finger inside. As his hand moved, it kept lightly skimming over her most delicate area. That was it - the perfect storm. She moved her hips hard into his hand and pushed his head down into her chest, begging him not to stop anything he was doing. "Aaaahhhh! Crane!" she screamed as he brought her over the edge. Panting, she kissed him hard until the sensation subsided. It took her quite a while to catch her breath.

Once she could speak she pleaded,"Lie down." Once again, he complied without argument. She sat up next to him, grabbed the band of his boxer briefs and glided them off his long, lean frame. Julie couldn't help but stare for a moment. She knew he would be fully intact (these are the sort of things you learn when your job is researching the 1700's and you're bored and have the internet and also Ichabod Crane exists). That was not a surprise. The surprise was how much of him there was. She caught a hint of it earlier, but to really see all of him... _Just when I thought he couldn't get any hotter..._

She crawled on top of him, startling him again. "Ms.-"

"Shut up, Crane," she whispered, and kissed his mouth softly. Her body rested gently on his as she kissed his neck, then his chest. Her hand moved along his side, down to his thigh. Once again, she ran her palm softly up and down his length. He made an amazing noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl as his hands clawed at the sheets. Julie loved knowing she was giving him pleasure. After what he just did to her, there was a part of her that wanted to go crazy on him with her mouth, but she figured she should probably take it easy on the guy who hasn't gotten any since the flag had thirteen stars. She sat up, straddled his hips and gently touched her wet warmth to his hardness, sliding softly over him.

"Ohh..." Crane groaned louder as his head rolled back. She wanted him. But as much as she would love to just take him into her at that very moment, she knew he was not accustomed to that and the last thing she wanted was to make him feel uncomfortable. Besides, thought of him on top of her was not an unpleasant one by any means.

"Ichabod..." she breathed, moving slowly on him.

"Mmmm..." he opened his eyes to meet hers.

"Ichabod, do you want me?"

"Yes," he growled.

"Tell me."

"I want you, Julie."

"Show me." She raised her hands up in surrender.

He leaned up, grabbed her wrists and rolled her over on the bed, and him along with her. He kissed her deeply on her mouth, neck, and chest. His hand slid between her thighs as lightly stroked her with his fingers again. He knelt between her legs and looked at her, writhing at his touch, begging for him without words. He leaned over her and kissed her mouth one time. He looked right into her eyes and guided himself inside of her. She gasped and he let out a deep, breathy "gaahhh." With each slow motion he moved deeper until he was fully immersed in her heat.

"This is amazing...you're amazing..." Julie panted as her fingers pressed into his back. Ichabod continued to move and softly moan, every motion and sound overwhelming Julie with waves of arousal so strong she swore she would drown. Her fingers moved down over the sensual curve of his lower back as his hips grinded. Her hand wandered further and she felt the alluring groove in the side of his perfect posterior deepen each time he pressed into her. "Oh god, Crane..." She could feel the passion swell inside her. She began to push her hips against his motion. Ichabod read her body's signals instantly. He knelt up and slid her hips onto his thighs. He grabbed the headboard with one hand, the other still clutching her hip. He moved faster and harder as a bead of sweat fell from his hair onto Julie's chest. She saw that he was looking at her. His translucent eyes had a look of exhilaration as he watched her squirm in the sheets, getting closer and closer to the peak of pleasure. And she looked at him. She watched as Ichabod Crane fucked her, the motion of his exquisite body propelling her into a state of complete euphoria.

"Oh Ichabod...oh god...oh..." she panted as she tried to come back to Earth from whatever planet Crane had just taken her to. He rested his forehead on hers as they both breathed heavily. Then she noticed something.

"Crane?"

"Yes, Ms. O'Connor?" he whispered.

"You're not...done?"

"You're asking if I have released-"

"Yeah. You haven't."

"No, I have not."

_OK seriously? Two-hundred fifty years of abstinence and he's still going? Good for him! Good for me! I think he's trying to kill me..._

"Wow, that's kind of amazing." But after a moment she backed away from his face, concerned. "Wait, am I not -"

"Oh no, you are," Crane assured her, putting his palm to her face, fingers in her hair. "You absolutely are." He kissed her again.

"Well, in that case, lie down."

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me. We've done it your way, now we do it my way," she said with a sly smirk.

"Alright, then." He gave a look of intrigue.

"You need to promise me something."

"What?" he asked as he lay down next to her.

"Do you trust me?"

"Implicitly."

"Good. Now it's you who says yes to me. OK?" She said as she leaned over him.

"Yes."

"Oh, very good. Quick study."

"Eidetic memory." Crane smirked.

"Right." Julie laughed.

Julie actually felt awkward at that moment. This playful banter thing, as adorable as it was, was making it feel less like just sex and more...relationshippy. She could see Crane felt strange about it too. That will be the end of that. Back to the task at hand.

"Anyway..." She straddled and hovered over him. Her chest gently pressed against his. Her mouth and teeth grazed the flesh of his neck, damp and salty from their passion. His hands lightly rubbed her back and hips. She began to move her way down to kiss and caress his chest, then his stomach. He flinched. "Ms. O'Connor..."

She expected this. "Crane?"

The tone in her voice must have reminded him of his agreement to not object. "Carry on." His body relaxed.

She spent a while with her mouth and hands acquainting herself with his torso. She then moved a little lower and began to glide her teeth along his glorious hip bone.

"Oh my..." he breathed.

Her palm glided up his entire length and back down.

"Oooh..."

And again.

"Oh, yes..."

She wrapped her hand around him and stroked him as her mouth, teeth and tongue continued their fervent exploration of his body. His breath became more labored and audible every moment. After she moved to his inner thigh she felt him begin to tense up, lifting his flawless backside off the sheets. She stopped everything, letting his intensity wane just a bit.

"Sit up, Crane."

"What?" He seemed confused and a little disappointed.

"Just trust me..." She took his hand and helped him sit. She knelt over his lap - without making contact - and kissed him, tangling her fingers in his hair. She could feel his hips moving, searching for her. He caressed her hips and thighs, trying to gently lower her down toward him.

"Ichabod..."

"Yes..."

"I want you right now, like this."

"Oh, yes..."

She reached between her legs and found him waiting. She began to ease down on his part, sheathing him slowly within her. She grabbed onto his shoulders and moved further down until she fully enveloped him. Her breath escaped her as he uttered a primal groan of pleasure. He gripped her hips tightly as she began to pulse and circle them on him. They breathed each others' breath as they clutched tightly onto one another.

"This...is...incredible," he spoke to the rhythm of her movement. She wanted to stay here forever. Looking into his eyes. Hearing his deep voice weak with passion. Feeling his hands all over her. Sweaty and fucking, forever.

He began to moan and guide her hips. She followed his lead. He greeted her movement with his own, somehow reaching deeper. She felt herself starting and she knew he was, too. She moved faster on his entire length, holding onto his shoulders for dear life as she and Ichabod crashed harder into each other. They both cried out as they brought each other to climax.

"Yes! Crane! yes!"

"Oh! Julie! Aaahhhh!"

They kept slowly moving together after they had both finished, for as long as they could. It seemed like neither one of them wanted to come back to reality. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and her head fell onto his chest. They were still. They stayed like that for quite a while. Finally, Ichabod put his fingers to her chin and guided her face to his. He kissed her lips softly. "Perhaps we should...gather ourselves?"

"Perhaps." She kissed him back.

After they each paid a visit to the en suite bathroom, they returned to bed; Ichabod in his briefs and she in hers and her bra. They didn't say anything but, strangely, it wasn't strange. Julie knew that the more words that were spoken, the closer they would be to the end of this. Ichabod seemed to know it, too. She rested her head on his beautiful chest and fell asleep in his arms.


	14. The Next Day

Ichabod awoke to sunlight coming through the bedroom window. He looked beside him. Julie was already up. Last night's events replayed through his mind. In his half-asleep state, he was unsure at first if it had actually happened or if it was a magnificent dream. Considering he woke up almost naked in her bed, he deduced it had actually happened. _Alright, it happened. Now how do we proceed?_ He sincerely wished he could stay in her bed indefinitely. He just wanted to lie there and sleep, waking to the feeling of Julie's soft lips on his. He wanted to touch her skin and hear her breathe his name. He wanted to relive last night's fiery passion, fall asleep in her arms and wake up and do it all over again. If he could remain there in that room of slumber and pleasure he would know nothing beyond those walls; the horror and pain and loss, Katrina and Jeremy, wounded friends, and a battle he was too damn tired to fight. He knew, of course, that was impossible. The real world existed and tired or not, he had a responsibility. Besides, he really did want to check on Abbie.

He sat up and swung his long legs off the side of the bed, his feet touching the cool hardwood floor. He rested his elbows on his thighs and ran his fingers through his hair. He just sat here a moment, preparing himself, as much as he could, to face reality. He made his way over to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. After he dried himself off he noticed the chair outside the bathroom door. All of his clothes were neatly placed upon it, his boots beneath, his coat over the back of it, and the tie for his hair placed on top of his folded shirt. He felt a sense of comfort. Julie was exceptionally good to him. Whether it was digging him out of a grave or folding his clothes, she just did it. No questions. _"Always yes."_

As he dressed, Crane began to wonder. _How is this going to be - facing Ms. O'Connor today, after... "Ichabod! Oh, yes!" ...what happened._ She had told him this sometimes happens in this era between two people, even two friends. _Just act normally._ He was actually looking forward to talking with her this morning. He was in no condition last night but in the light of day he knew he needed to sort through a lot. He was a proud man but he knew he had hit his breaking point. There was no room for an arrogant facade anymore. Normally he would be speaking to Abbie about all of it but with her being hurt, he didn't want to burden her further. He knew Julie would be willing to listen to him and help in any way she could. He pulled his hair back, put his boots and coat on and opened the bedroom door. He smelled coffee. _Excellent._ He walked around the corner into the kitchen and... kids.

"Morning," Julie greeted him with a smile. She was dressed for the day and cooking breakfast. "EJ, Jessica, say hello to Mr. Crane."

Two little voices greeted him.

Taken off-guard, Ichabod managed a polite smile. "Good morning, children." He looked up toward Julie who was standing at the stove. He motioned his head to come into the living room. She motioned to the food she was cooking and shrugged. She wasn't going anywhere at the moment.

"I was just telling the kids that mommy let a work friend stay here last night because there was a fire at his house."

"Was it a big fire, Mr. Crane?" Eddie Jr. asked.

"Yes, young man. I'm afraid it was."

"Why are you wearing those clothes?"

Crane rolled his eyes as his hands tightened on the back of an empty kitchen chair. He hadn't expected to awaken to an inquisition. "These are...I was.."

"Mr. Crane does war reenactments," Julie piped in to save him.

"That's not a war uniform, mommy." The boy stared at Crane, making him uncomfortable.

Ichabod attempted to deflect the boy's attention from his finery. "You are quite right. It is not. Tell me, how did you get so smart?"

"School. And mommy. She teaches me about her work."

"Well, that's wonderful."

"Are you married, Mr. Crane? Do you have any kids?" The last thing Ichabod needed right now was this line of questioning.

Julie came to the rescue again. "EJ, honey, finish your breakfast. Have a seat, Crane. I'll get you some."

"Oh, no. I couldn't impose."

"Come on. I insist. I make a mean omelet. And coffee. I have coffee."

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, I gladly accept." Ichabod sat down at the table next to Julie's son. "How can I resist a plate of...angry eggs?"

"More oos, peese!" said the adorable little girl seated in her high chair across from Crane.

"More juice?!" Julie teased. "Where are you putting it all!?"

"Belly!" Jessica giggled.

"Mom, do I have to eat ALL of this?" Eddie Jr. asked.

"What do you think?"

"Yes..." he moped.

Ichabod sat there in the middle of this little family having their breakfast and it made him want to jump off the nearest cliff. He was supposed to have this with Katrina. Happiness. Normalcy. Meals with their children. Instead he was living a horrific nightmare. He really just wanted to sit and talk to Julie. In retrospect, of course her kids would be there in the morning, but it just didn't occur to him until he saw them sitting there.

"Mornin', my darlings!" A woman's thick Irish accent called from the front door.

"Hey, Annie!" Julie called.

"Gramma!" the kids shouted.

Crane raised his brow at Julie, wondering exactly how many family members he would be forced to smile at this morning. She brought over his plate of food and coffee as Annie walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, hello," Annie said, obviously surprised to see a man sitting at the table.

Ichabod stood and offered his hand, which Annie took.

"Annie O'Connor, this is Ichabod Crane. He works with Frank."

"Delighted," Annie smiled coyly.

"As am I, madam." He gave a small nod. He had learned his customary bow seemed to make women of this era...uncomfortable.

Annie turned to Julie. "Can I see you for a moment, dear?"

"Sure. We'll just be a minute," Julie said to Crane as she and Annie walked into the living room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Annie, let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain, dear. I'm happy for you, getting back out there."

"I'm not 'back out there!' Geez, Annie!"

"So you're telling me he didn't stay over here last night?"

"Well...he did, but..."

"Well, good for you." Annie peeked into the kitchen for a second and whispered, "He's gorgeous, by the way."

"Annie!" Julie exclaimed, mortified. "This is not a conversation I should be having with you."

"And just why is that, dear? I'm a woman, you're a woman, and Eddie is gone. He'd want you to be happy, and so do I."

"I appreciate that. I really do, but I promise you that's not what's going on here."

"Well, why not? He's not married, is he?"

That question cut Julie like a knife knowing the terrible truthful answer was "No."

"Then what is it?"

"It's complicated. He has..." _demons chasing him...the existence of the world as we know it depending on him...the horseman of War for a son..._ "baggage."

"Oh, who doesn't, dear? You have two kids, for Christ sakes."

"Look, Annie. I appreciate your...whatever this is...but it's not like that with me and him. It's just not. We're friends. That's it."

"Well, that's not technically true, is it?"

"Annie..." she shook her head and smirked.

Annie put her arm around Julie's shoulder. "I'm just saying, you could do worse."

Julie sighed. She glanced at Crane, talking to her son as he ate his breakfast. She smiled a sad smile. "Believe me, I know."

She walked back into the kitchen and saw Ichabod getting up to wipe some spilled applesauce from the side of Jessica's high chair tray. She stopped in her tracks. That picture. Damn him for giving her this image. It would be so easy for her to put him there - to click him right into that empty space in her family puzzle. And it was not lost on her that the reverse would also be true. _Absolutely. Not._

"She had a little mishap. I hope you don't mind." Crane smiled.

"Not at all," Julie said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Crane sat down, finished his breakfast and thanked Julie for the meal. "You were correct, your omelet was quite angry."

"It's 'mean,' Crane."

"I was merely trying to compliment your cooking ability."

"No, I meant...Never mind." _Great. We had sex and turned into Abbott and Costello._

"Well, I really should be on my way to the bus station. I must see how Abbie is faring this day."

"I'll take you," Julie stated.

"That's really not necessary."

"No, it isn't necessary, but Abbie is my friend and I'd like to see her too, if she's up for visitors."

"Well in that case, I would very much like to accompany you on your travels."

"Great. Let me make a few calls, push a couple deadlines, and we'll go. Ten minutes?"

"I shall meet you outside." Crane said his goodbyes to the rest of the O'Connor family and went out to the front porch. He sat on the steps and waited for Julie. He was actually relieved she was going with him because it will give them time to talk. He looked around the quaint neighborhood, thinking of how he and Katrina would have lived together in this time. Would they have had more children? A home such as these? Quiet nights talking and holding each other, thankful for their second chance? A tear had just escaped his eye but he quickly wiped it away as he heard the door open. Julie met him on the porch and they walked to her car.

"So..." Julie said as she put her seat belt on.

"Yes?"

"Last night. You wanna talk about it or anything?" _Please say no._ Her months of pent up frustration had finally been transformed into a delightful feeling of gratification and contentment. However, she knows if he starts discussing details she will be back to square one in seconds.

"No, on the contrary. I am quite content to simply move forward without any awkwardness between us."

"Glad to hear it."

"I was actually hoping I could speak with you about what has transpired over the past few days."

"We have two hours, Crane. Go right ahead. I also have a million more questions about the Eddie thing, but you start wherever you'd like."

Crane relayed to Julie the events from the moment he left her outside the cave to the moment he boarded the bus to her house. She listened intently to her dear friend. He talked about Katrina and he cried. He talked about Eddie and Julie cried. Their hands occasionally clutched together on the center console to comfort whichever one of them was in need of it at that moment. They talked about their beloved spouses, smiled as they shared happy memories, and cried again remembering that they were lost to them forever.

"Crane, we are two sad souls, you and me," Julie said as she pulled into a parking space near the hospital.

"I am more than sad, Ms. O'Connor. My heart feels as if it has been shattered."

"I'm not going to pretend it gets easy, but I do promise it gets easier."

"That is somewhat comforting."

"Come on. Let's go see Abbie and Jenny."

"Indeed."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They arrived at Abbie's room. The door was propped open but only one of them was permitted to go inside at a time since they weren't family. Julie waited outside the doorway while Crane went first. She could see inside the room and hear them talking.

"Ichabod?"

"Abbie," he smiled as he sat next to her on the bed and held her hand in both of his. "I'm so glad to have found you awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm OK, actually. They finally found a good balance of meds that really help with the pain and only make me moderately loopy."

"I'm pleased to hear that. I know we have much to discuss but for the moment I just want you to know how glad I am that you are here. I could not bear the thought of my actions causing you..."

"Crane, stop."

"No, I won't. I let you stay there alone."

"You didn't _let_ me do anything, Ichabod. I chose to stay. I chose to fight."

"I still have this overwhelming feeling of guilt that I was not there to assist you." Ichabod raised his palm to Abbie's cheek. "I am sorry."

Abbie smiled sweetly. "You were buried in a box, Crane. What the hell were you going to do?" That managed to get Crane to smile a bit. "Besides, I'll be OK." She leaned up and touched her forehead to his. "I promise."

"I can't lose you, too." Crane said softly, his voice cracking slightly.

"You won't, Ichabod. You won't." The two witnesses embraced as Julie looked in from the hall. She watched them hold each other like that was the safest place either of them had ever been in their lives. It was beautiful. It was intimate. Julie felt like an intruder standing there watching this moment between them, so she went to sit down and wait. She decided to text Cynthia to see what was going on with Frank.

A while later Ichabod came out to get her. "I apologize for taking so long."

"No need, Crane. I understand what you two mean to each other. Hey, why don't you go see Jenny while I visit with Abbie? I'll come get you when I'm done."

"Very well. I shall see you shortly." Crane walked toward the elevator and Julie went to Abbie's room.

"Hey there," Abbie greeted her.

"Hi," Julie smiled as she sat down on the chair next to the bed. "God, it's good to see you in one piece."

"It's good to be in one piece. Crane though... I don't know what to say..."

"I know."

"I'm actually glad he has you to talk to about it. Someone who's been through it, you know?"

"Yeah, I'm happy to. And the fact that he saw Eddie..."

"I saw him too, you know. He saved me."

"Yeah," Julie smiled.

"Crazy, right?"

"Very. Kind of comforting though. To know he's...around."

"I imagine it is. So, I wanted to ask you - how was Ichabod last night?"

"What? How do you - huh?" As Julie stammered she realized Abbie was NOT asking what she thought she was asking.

"Are you OK?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. He was fine. I mean, he was, you know." She cleared her throat. "Fine." _What the hell was that? _

"Really? Because he was a mess yesterday. That's why I suggested he should stay with you."

"He wasn't himself, that's for sure. I think he was in shock. You were definitely right to not want him to be alone. He seems much better this morning." _Good for you, saying words like a normal person._

Just then Julie's phone buzzed. "Oh, that's Cynthia. I was checking on Frank." She looked at her phone. "Oh, shit."

"What is it?" Abbie inquired.

"They moved him to Tarrytown." Julie responded as she sent a return text.

"They put him in psych?"

Her phone buzzed again. "Apparently. But the good news is, he can have visitors. I guess I know my next stop."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A guard opened the door to Irving's room at Tarrytown.

"What the hell, Frank?" Julie walked over and gave him a big hug. "What the hell did you do?"

Irving returned her embrace. "I did what I had to do for my daughter. No regrets."

"But dammit...your job...everything..." Julie said as she stepped back.

"'Everything' does not matter to me as much as my little girl living the life that she deserves." Frank responded, holding her hands in his.

"Shit. Why does this all have to be so horrible?" She asked.

"What, the beginning of the apocalypse? Weird, right?"

Julie laughed. "Shut up."

Frank cracked a smile. They just looked at each other, smiling at the overwhelming absurdity of the whole situation. Finally Julie said, "What are we going to do?"

"We? You're gonna go home and be a mom to those two little kids and forget about all of this."

She removed her hands from his and turned around. "God, you sound like Ichabod."

"Occasionally the man does make sense. Wait, is Crane OK?"

It just occurred to Julie that he had no idea what had happened since she went to find Crane. "Oh, crap. Yeah, he's, well I don't know about 'OK' but he's alive and not injured. He's actually right outside. Abbie's in rough shape but she and Jenny will both be alright. Oh, and P.S. Henry Parrish is Ichabod's son and also a horseman."

"What?"

"Just, hang on a second." Julie got Crane and they both went through the whole story with Frank. (Well, not the _whole_ story.) Ichabod agreed to return the following day so they could try to come with some sort of plan of what to do next. He walked out of the room, giving Julie a chance to say goodbye to Irving.

"So, OK," she said, taking his hands again. "I'm going to drop Crane off at Abbie's, and I'm going to go home. But I am making you both promise me that you'll call me if there is anything I can do to help. Deal?"

"Deal." He smiled.

Julie stood there for a second, wondering whether to tell Frank what Eddie said. She didn't even know why she was debating it, but she was. "There's one more thing Crane didn't mention to you about Eddie." She looked down and fidgeted with his hands. "He told Crane that he was happy that you're looking out for me." She paused for a moment and then looked up with tears in her eyes. "I can't lose you, too."

"Come here," Frank held her as she cried into his standard issue Tarrytown Psychiatric t-shirt.

After a few minutes, she lifted her head up. "I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I'm making this about me when it's so totally not about me."

"Hey," Frank held her face in his hands, and wiped a tear away with his thumb. "If I understood this right, you're kind of a rock star. You just saved Ichabod's life, and indirectly Abbie's, too. It _is_ sort of about you."

"Well, if you use that logic, I also killed Katrina."

"Dammit, Jules. You are an incredibly strong woman but we all have our breaking points. If you didn't lose it a little bit after all this, I'd be concerned."

"I know, it's just seeing you in here like this...It's not like we talked all the time but I always knew that I could turn to you no matter what and you'd be there."

"That hasn't changed. The only thing that's changed is instead of being there, I'll be...here."

"Frank..." She shook her head and smiled.

"Besides, Cynthia is working on things...There is a small possibility I can beat these charges. We just have to wait and see, OK?"

"OK."

They hugged again as they said their goodbyes.

"See you soon," Frank said.

Julie nodded and closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Julie drove Crane to Abbie's house, where he would be staying until other permanent arrangements could be made. She helped him bring in a few things they bought at the store. The items did not include any clothing, as Crane insisted he would rather revisit the reenactment shop in the morning to replace what he lost in the fire. Julie didn't press the issue. She would be more than happy to never see the man don modern clothes. They hung up their coats, put away the groceries, made some tea and sat on the couch.

"So, this is good. You're close to the hospital and when they get out you'll be able to help Abbie and Jenny."

"Yes, I'm sure I will find the guest bedroom to be very convenient."

Ichabod seemed distracted. Julie asked him what was on his mind.

"May I ask just one thing regarding what happened last evening?"

_Oh, please don't..._ "Sure, what is it?"

"Forgive my forwardness, but I need to know. I wasn't thinking of it then, but in the light of day I can't help but be concerned about the possibility of...certain consequences that may occur as a result of our relations."

"Oh, that," Julie said, relieved. "It's OK Crane. I'm on the pill."

She received the quizzical Crane look.

"There is a pill that women can take daily that prevents pregnancy."

He paused. "Oh."

Julie was beginning to know Crane's mannerisms fairly well. "'Oh.' As in 'I want to ask you why you're taking that pill if you've been widowed for two years but I don't want it to sound like I'm calling you a whore?' That 'Oh?'"

"I would never even insinuate such a thing! But, since you mentioned it, if you wouldn't mind explaining..."

"It also happens to regulate women's cycles, which is why I'm still on it." She'd never been so thankful for her unpredictable hormones, because she sure as hell didn't have any condoms lying around her bedroom.

"Well, that answers that, and to my relief I might add - about the prevention part. I never thought for a second you were a ..."

"I know that, Crane. You're the first person I've been with since Eddie died."

_Crap. Lingering eye contact. Stop it._

"May I say one more thing about what happened?"

_No._ "Sure."

"That was absolutely incredible."

Julie couldn't hide her sudden forceful exhale upon hearing those words. "Yes, yes it was."

"Better even than I had dreamed."

"Me, too." _Wait, what?_ "Wait, what?"

Crane didn't take his eyes off of hers as he explained. "Out of respect for Katrina I do not wish to elaborate, but suffice it to say since our first encounter my subconscious mind was awakened to the idea of what it might be like to be with you, in that way."

The idea that he had thought about her the way she thought about him was just intoxicating to her. "Wow. I had no idea." _Why did you tell me that? Dammit._

"Well, it's true. I never could have made such a confession before now but after what happened between us..."

His words were stopped by Julie's lips. "Ichabod," she said as she kissed him, "I can't help myself...I want you so bad...please stop me..."

He put his arm around her waist as he said between kisses, "I'm afraid you overestimate my level of self-control at this moment, Ms. O'Connor."

He pulled her to him and she landed kneeling astride his legs. "Call me Julie," she panted. "It's so hot the way you say my name."

"Julie..." he breathed into her ear, taking her lobe between his lips.

She moved her hips closer to his, wanting to feel his growing excitement.

Ichabod lifted her shirt off, revealing a black bra with just a bit of lace trim. "My word, this is lovely," he whispered as his lips and tongue traced the path along the lacy edges of her bra line, pausing for a deep kiss between her breasts. His exquisite fingertips traced down her neck and slid her bra straps off her shoulders. Julie's entire body was tingling from his touch.

**"RING!"** Crane's phone. **"RING!"**

"Bloody hell," Crane growled. "I should answer that."

"I know..." Julie plopped back on the couch and tried to catch her breath.

"Abbie," Crane answered, as he stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Yes, fine. Just getting acclimated to my surroundings."

Julie put her shirt on as Crane continued his conversation. This was definitely a sign that she should go. She wanted someone to stop her. _Thank you, Abbie._ And who better to stop it, really. It's her house. It would be kind of disrespectful to have sex all over her furniture while she's lying in the hospital. She signaled to Crane that she was going to go. He did that pinchy thing with his eyebrows and shook his head no.

"Bye," she mouthed, and shut the door behind her.


	15. The Question

Crane spoke with Abbie for quite a while, until she convinced him she really should go and get some sleep. He didn't want to let her off the phone, but knew she needed rest to recuperate. When he hung up with her, his thoughts turned to Julie. He realized she was right to leave. Last night was not a mistake. It was real but it was somehow separate from reality. Tonight would have been very real. Tonight would have been a mistake. _ I cannot live within the distraction that her touch provides. I have not yet grieved for my beloved, and there is much to be done in this war. _He made himself something to eat, took a shower and went to bed.

In the morning he went back to Tarrytown as planned.

"Good day, Captain Irving."

"Crane, I'm pretty sure I will never again hold that title. Please, call me Frank."

"Regardless of the status of your employment, it is a term of respect. However, if it makes you uncomfortable, I will stop."

"I'd prefer Frank."

"Very well."

"Hey, is Julie alright? She was kind of upset yesterday."

"Ms. O'Connor is in good spirits considering all she has been though recently."

"And she's OK with what happened between you two?"

Crane hoped that didn't mean what he thought it meant. "To what are you referring?"

"You know what I mean, Crane. You went to bed with her."

Ichabod was shocked. "She told you?"

"No, but you just did."

Crane closed his eyes and pursed his lips in frustration. He wasn't sure if he was more angry at Frank for tricking him, or himself for falling for it. "How did you know?"

"It is, or was, my job to be observant. After twelve years I know that woman better than I'd like to admit. And you, Ichabod, well, let's just say you probably wouldn't be very good at poker."

Crane had no idea what that meant, and wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Captain...Frank. I assure you that what happened between me and Ms. O'Connor was..."

"Woah, woah, woah...Time out, Crane. I don't need to know any details, but I do need to make something clear." Frank took a step towards Crane and looked him in the eyes. "Do NOT hurt her. Do you hear me? She has been through enough."

Crane met his stare. "I have no intention of hurting her. You have my word."

"Just be careful, Crane. Please."

"You really care for her, don't you?"

"You have to understand, I saw her during the worst moments of her life; things a woman should never have to go through. I still see a part of that every time I look at her. Makes it kinda hard not to be protective."

"Of course."

When Ichabod returned to Abbie's house, he thought about what Frank had said. He did not want to cause Ms. O'Connor any pain. He wondered if a discussion of future intentions may be a way to prevent any negative feelings. But what were his future intentions? Did he even have any? He hadn't thought about it. It was too soon. Julie certainly did not seem upset, nor did she express any desire to make changes to the status of their friendship. This was something he would have to carefully consider before bringing it up to her, if he would even do so at all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Over the next few weeks, Jenny and Abbie were released from the hospital. They both stayed at Abbie's house with Crane so he could easily attend to their needs. He slept very uncomfortably on the couch while Jenny stayed in the guest room. A few weeks later Jenny was back on her feet and able to return to her apartment. Crane gladly relocated to the newly vacant bedroom.

He and Abbie actually got along very well as roommates. They were both neat freaks, so there wasn't any bickering about cleaning. They were very considerate of one another when it came to choosing what to watch for movie nights, which were usually Wednesdays and Saturdays. Crane was very eager to continue to try new foods, and Abbie knew the best places in the area to get take-out. It was nice. It was comfortable. It worked.

A few months later, when Jenny felt up to it, she asked Abbie, Crane and Julie to come over for dinner. She would have invited Irving as well, but despite there being some substantial progress made toward his release, for now he was still residing at Tarrytown.

It was the first time Crane had seen or spoken to Julie since she left Abbie's house that night. It seemed to be mutually understood that some distance was probably the best thing for them. Julie hadn't even called Abbie. By the time this dinner happened, everyone was just happy to see one another. The foursome had a nice, uneventful dinner with some drinks and laughs. A rare occurrence given what was usually going on around them. None of them took it for granted.

"Well," Julie said as she stood up from her kitchen chair. "I have a long drive. I'd better get going."

"We should go, too." Abbie agreed. "You about ready, Crane?"

"Quite."

"OK, let me help my sister clean up a bit, and we'll go."

"I'll walk Ms. O'Connor to her car and meet you outside."

Julie said goodbye to Abbie, thanked Jenny, and walked outside with Ichabod.

As they crossed the street, Ichabod seized the opportunity. "I think we need to talk."

"Oh, no."

"What?"

"Crane, it seems like whenever you start a conversation like that my clothes start falling off."

Ichabod smiled. "Not this time, I assure you."

"Good. I'm finally to the point where I'm not thinking about what happened on a daily basis. So, what is it?" She turned and leaned against her driver's side door.

"Well, we hadn't spoken since that night at Abbie's house. I want to tell you that I completely understand why you left. What we had started - it would have been a mistake."

"I know. I'm glad you agree."

"Secondly, I want to ask you a question. I have had some time to come to terms with Katrina's death and have begun to look toward the future. Perhaps, When I am ready and I'm not battling actual demons on a semi-daily basis, perhaps I may call on you to join me for dinner?"

Julie smirked. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes, a proper date. Not now, but someday."

She looked at him with a sad smile. "When, in seven years? I'm sorry, Ichabod. I can't."

Crane began to respond but just then Abbie walked out and toward her car in front of Jenny's building.

"Take your time," she said. "I have few calls to make."

Ichabod nodded.

"Why are you doing this?" Julie asked Ichabod as his attention returned to her.

"You are a kind and lovely woman. I enjoy your company."

"And?"

"And, I feel I should ask you."

"You feel you should. Should. So you're not doing it because you want to, but because it's what you think you're supposed to do?"

"I don't..."

"Ichabod, listen to me. As much as I would love to say yes - and I would LOVE to say yes - I can't go on a 'proper date' with you..." she pauses for what seems like an eternity, "when I know your heart belongs to someone else."

"But, Katrina is gone. And she gave me her blessing to open my heart to another."

"Oh, Ichabod. I wasn't talking about Katrina."

Crane didn't understand.

"And I'm fairly certain Katrina wasn't talking about me, either."

"What are you saying?"

Julie smiled sweetly and motioned her head over to the silver SUV which was waiting for Crane.

"...Abbie?"

"Of course Abbie," Julie laughed. "You really don't see it yet, do you? I see it every time you look at each other. No matter if we went on one date or one hundred dates, you would _never_ look at me the way you look at her. You would never hold me with your entire soul the way you held her that day in the hospital."

"Julie, I...I don't know what to say."

"It makes perfect sense. You share a bond like no two people have ever shared in the history of...ever. You can't tell me you've never thought about it, about being with her."

"There have been fleeting thoughts, I admit. She is a wonderful, beautiful woman, but I couldn't..."

"You couldn't when you were married and it was improper. Well, now you aren't, and it's not."

"She is my partner, my closest friend. And you and I have..."

"Yes, you and I had sex. But think about it, what would have happened if she was the one that kissed you instead of me? Your partner and best friend? It would have gone a lot differently and you know it."

Crane was speechless.

"Don't get me wrong. Our night together was unbelievably amazing and I will never regret that it happened."

"Nor will I."

"But you said it yourself; to you, I am a distraction. And truthfully, to me, you're a fantasy. Sometimes I still wonder if you're actually real. That's not quite the makings of happily ever after. I care about you, Crane, and I know you care about me. We were there for each other through some really horrible stuff. But you will _never_ look at me the way you took at her - with complete and utter devotion...and love. And it's not because she's your co-Witness. It's simply because she means more to you than anyone else in the world."

Ichabod was quiet for a few moments. "Perhaps you are right," he finally said. "I cannot imagine my life without her. Even so, I have the utmost respect for her. I would never want to say or do anything inappropriate. What if she does not feel the same?"

"Are you kidding? She feels the same."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No. She won't admit it yet, either. God, I feel like clunking your heads together like in a three stooges skit." She put her hand to her forehead and ran it through her hair.

"Stooges?" Crane looked at her to explain.

She held up her hand. "Never mind. Look, I'm not saying that you should get in the car and confess your undying love. I'm just saying that at some point it will probably happen for you two, and when it does it's going to be wonderful."

Crane smiled as he began to feel the affection for Abbie that he had been holding back. Now was not the time to act upon it, of course, but it gave him a warm feeling to admit to himself that the bond he felt with her was more than that of his fellow Witness.

"Thank you, Ms. O'Connor." Ichabod smiled sweetly. "You have been a good friend, and now you have opened my mind to a wonderful possibility."

"You're welcome, Ichabod."

A small smirk came to his face as he said, "It hasn't gone unnoticed, however, that you broke your rule. Apparently the answer is not always 'yes.'"

Julie grinned and blushed. "Yeah, I guess not." She looked into his beautiful eyes. "I just think we both deserve to be happy." She laughed, "...Eventually."

Ichabod smiled. "You truly are remarkable, you know that."

"Thank you. You, too."

Crane raised his hand up to touch her cheek. She leaned into his palm and kissed it softly. He lifted her face to his and kissed her lips slowly and gently. As the kiss ended, they stood there for a few moments; eyes closed, foreheads touching, his hand still on her cheek.

She placed one small kiss on his cheek and whispered, "You'd better go."

"Indeed." Crane straightened up and said as he bowed his head, "Farewell, Ms. O'Connor."

"Take care of yourself, Crane."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Julie watched Ichabod Crane walk away from her, as if it was the end of a movie. This fascinating figure who appeared in her world one day in his frock coat and boots, now walking off into the proverbial sunset. She was really fine with letting him go. She never believed for a moment he would ever really be hers. He couldn't live in her world and she couldn't live in his. Logically, she had known that all along.

"Ms. O'Connor," Ichabod turned and called from across the street. "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but perhaps you should heed your own advice."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am fairly certain that you, too, have someone in _your_ life that you would not want to live without, and who feels the same about you."

She smirked. He was right. "Understood."

Julie watched Crane get into Abbie's SUV and saw them drive away. She sat in her car and took out her phone.

_**'Hey.'**_

_**'Hey.'**_

_**'How are you?'**_

_**'Bored. Just happy they're letting me text now.'**_

_**'Me too. Any news?'**_

_**'The analysis of what they found in their bloodstreams during the autopsies came back. Cynthia's getting the report tomorrow. If it is proven to cause hallucinations and violent tendencies, I may actually get to walk out of here.'**_

_**'So glad! When you do, I need you to do something for me.'**_

_**'What?'**_

_**'Take me out to dinner.'**_

_**'Dinner?'**_

_**'Yeah. Like, dinner. You and me. Eating food. In the evening.'**_

_**'Smartass.'**_

_**':)'**_

_**'Gotta admit it's not the worst idea you've ever had.'**_

_**'I have my moments.'**_

_**'Yeah, you sure do.'**_

_**'Talk to you tomorrow.'**_

_**'Good night, Jules.'**_

_**'Night.'**_


	16. Epilogue

_**One Year Later**_

"Come on, Crane!"

"I would be matching your pace more easily if you did not insist I wear this enormous 'back pack.' What do you have in here?"

"You'll see. Now come on! It's getting dark! We're gonna miss it!"

It was the Fourth of July. Independence Day. Abbie had somehow convinced Ichabod to accompany her on a hike near where Corbin's cabin had stood. She even convinced him to leave his coat at her house. It was the middle of summer, after all.

"Here! Here it is!"

Crane didn't know where she was taking him but he enjoyed being with her no matter where they were. That's why he was really in no huge hurry to find his own place and move out of Abbie's guest room. However it had been over a year since he 'temporarily' moved in with her, so he forced himself to actively look for something. He had paid his first month's rent and security deposit on a small apartment and was supposed to move within the next week.

He met Abbie the top of the hill and saw a clearing. Abbie had an absolutely giddy smile on her face.

Crane was perplexed. "It's a field."

"_Now_ it's a field. But in about ten minutes...well, you'll see."

"May I remove this dreadful knapsack from my shoulders now?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry. Here, let me help."

Abbie put the backpack on the ground and unzipped it. She removed a large blanket and laid it out on the grass. She took out a bottle of wine, plastic cups, small paper plates and plastic sandwich bags containing fruit, cheese and crackers.

"A picnic? In the dark?" Crane thought the whole thing was strange, but kind of adorable.

"Sit," Abbie instructed as she poured some wine for him.

They sat on the blanket with their legs crossed, having their snacks.

"So are you going to tell me what..." BOOM!

Ichabod instinctively lunged at Abbie and shielded her body with his. "Stay down, Lieutenant!"

"Crane! It's OK! It's fireworks!" She pointed above them. "It's why I brought you here."

He lifted his head and saw the brilliant colors lighting up the still-darkening sky.

"Fireworks..." He sat up, his hand still braced on the ground on the other side of her waist.

"Yeah. Remember last year we heard them from the archive room but we were too busy trying to figure out how to beat our demon-of-the-week to go and look?"

"Yes," he softly said as he continued to look at the display.

"Here, lie down next to me," Abbie offered, patting the blanket. "It's the best way to see them."

Ichabod slunk down onto the blanket next to her and she took his hand. It was a thing she did. It happened once by accident a few months ago when they both reached for the remote control at the same time. Ever since that night, she just started taking his hand in hers whenever the mood struck her. He loved how comfortable she was with him and enjoyed the way their hands fit together.

"Corbin brought me up here a few years ago. He told me it was the best place to see the display the town puts on. He was not wrong." She rubbed Crane's hand lightly as she spoke. "I just thought maybe it would mean something to you, you know? To see how every July fourth, even hundreds of years later, we give thanks for our freedom and celebrate the lives of those who fought for it."

Ichabod leaned up on his forearm and faced her. "Abbie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Crane."

He continued to look at her.

She smiled and said, "You're missing the fireworks."

"I can see them reflected in your eyes. I think I prefer that."

"What?"

Ichabod could not fight the overwhelming urge he had to kiss her. This was not a timid 'I hope this is OK with you' kiss. It was a full-on, hand in her hair, open-mouth 'I have waited a long time for this and I do not wish to wait any longer' kiss. Strong yet soft. Deep but gentle. One kiss lead to two, which lead to five. Ichabod smiled as she responded in kind to his sudden display of affection. He backed away for a moment to see Abbie was smiling as well.

"Crane, what were you thinking?!"

His brow furrowed.

"What were you thinking waiting so long to do that?" She put her hand on his cheek and leaned up for another kiss, and another.

He treasured every morsel of her long-overdue affection. "I love you, Abbie. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Ichabod."

"I don't wish to move out."

"Oh, you are absolutely moving out of my guest room."

"I am?"

"Into my room."

"Oh." He thought for a moment. "Oh!" He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

They laughed and kissed some more as the colorful explosions lit up the night sky.

"I guess this means I have a date to Frank and Julie's wedding?" Abbie asked.

"It would certainly seem that way." Ichabod smiled. "Now please, if you don't mind. I have waited a long time for this. Less talking. More kissing."

xxxxxx

**(Thank you to everyone who came on this ride with me. I hope you enjoyed reading my first fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. There will likely be a follow-up to this last scene, which I believe will be a one-shot. And beyond that, who knows! Thanks again! -SF)**


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